


3 Excellent Reasons to Set Up Wards Before You Summon - #2 Will Shock You!

by lvcoloredmagic



Series: Magical Girls' Crusades [1]
Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Witchcraft, occultism, skype messaging
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-08
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-08-13 18:51:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7982338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lvcoloredmagic/pseuds/lvcoloredmagic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Reimu:</b> What did you accidentally summon.<br/><b>several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):</b> exactly one (1) evil spirit<br/><b>Reimu:</b> I'm coming over.</p><p>In which Reimu is a broke college student and a spirit worker with something of a specialty in performing exorcisms, and Marisa is a university dropout who practices witchcraft, works in a metaphysical shop, and drives what may be a car if you squint at it long enough. Mima is there, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate title: Gay Witchcraft
> 
> The modern gay occultism AU you've probably not been waiting for, but is here anyway. Takes place in an unspecified, totally-not-American western country; Reimu and Marisa are both still Japanese, both college aged, and both incredibly silly.
> 
> I'm a practicing witch, and so a lot of the stuff shown is based on my own knowledge and experience, but with some fictionalization, of course. The teen rating is mostly for swearing.

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** ey so uh, reimu. gotta ask you something. ya know, just... hypothetically.

**Reimu:** What did you do now.

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** WOW OKAY RUDE why do you just  _ assume _

**Reimu:** Because it's 4:47 AM, and the only reason you'd be up at 4:47 AM is if you're getting into trouble.

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** ok i mean you're right but NO LISTEN i just gotta ask, like. say i was doing a pretty heavy spell, right, summonings and stuff, cast my circle and everything just to be safe, but like... i fucked up and opened the circle too soon? maybe??

**Reimu:** Marisa. What is it.

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** hey i said this was hypothetical

**Reimu:** What did you accidentally summon.

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** OKAY SO DON'T FREAK OUT   
**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** like she's actually pretty cool, it's not really a problem i just figured i should maybe, ya know, consult the experts on this

**Reimu:** _ What did you accidentally summon. _

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** exactly one (1) evil spirit

**Reimu:** I'm coming over.

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** HEY WAIT listen i'm telling you it's not a problem, she's pretty fun to talk to

**Reimu:** WHY are you talking to an evil spirit?? Go get some salt, set up some wards or something, I know you know how. I'll be there as soon as I can.

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** you live like fifty miles away dude how are you gonna even

**Reimu:** I'll figure it out.

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** well i'm not saying no to seeing ya but seriously, you don't have to come over, i have this totally under contr   
**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** fuck brb

**Reimu:** Marisa???? What's going on???????   
**Reimu:** Marisa, answer me.   
**Reimu:** If this is your idea of a joke, it's really not funny.   
**Reimu:** ...Marisa?   
**Reimu:** Please answer me I'm getting worried   
**Reimu:** Please

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** oh my god don't freak out it's fine, i'm fine

**Reimu:** _ WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?? _

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** eh she found my box of spell supplies, ya know, the poisonous and dangerous stuff?

**Reimu:** Oh my god Marisa

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** it's cool dude it's cool i got this under control

**Reimu:** It  _ really  _ sounds like you don’t, actually.

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** i do!! why do you never believe i can handle this stuff? 

**Reimu:** Because we’re having this conversation in the first place.

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** …..ok you make a fair point, but consider: having a little faith in me?

**Reimu:** Marisa, this is  _ seriously  _ above your usual level of work. I’m not saying you can’t handle it, I’m saying that you probably don’t really know how to. What were you even doing?

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** somehow i’m even more offended??? wow 

**Reimu:** Please, just. I got an Uber, they should be here before too long. I’ll be there before 6 for certain. Just… stay put, and stay the hell away from that damn spirit. 

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** yeah alright fine, but seriously dont just come busting in here when you do show up ok   
**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** like let’s calmly assess the situation and figure shit out before we freak the hell out, ok rei? 

**Reimu:** I can’t believe you’re telling  _ me  _ to calmly assess the situation. But fine. I’m going to close out of Skype to save data, so if you need me just text, alright? 

**several hundred bees in a cool robe (marisa ☆):** got it 


	2. Chapter 2

Marisa looks exhausted, and she blinks at you a few times, clearly trying to register what she’s looking at. Her gaze falls on the purification rod, and you quickly lower it, holding it by your side. She blinks again.

“Hey, Rei-” It sounded like she was going to actually say your full name for once, but a massive yawn interrupts her, causing her eyes to water. “Fuck, sorry. Hey, Reimu. I told ya you didn’t have to come.”

“And I told you I was coming,” you reply, sternness leaking into your voice. You’re almost angry, but then you look her over again, the way strands of hair stick out in all directions, the dark circles under her eyes and the exhaustion etched across her face, illuminated by the first light of dawn. Without even thinking about it, you step closer, closing the gap between the two of you as you pull her into a hug.

“I was so worried,” you mumble as you press your face against her neck, her hair tickling you. She hums and wraps her arms around you, and the two of you just stay there for several long moments, silent. Then, you step back a little, taking hold of her hand. “Are you okay? What happened? You didn’t really tell me, and I- I thought… I don’t know what I thought!”

“Fuck, Rei, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you like this. I just… freaked out and messaged you without thinking, I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“What? No! You absolutely should have bothered me! If I found out something had happened to you and I didn’t even know…”

“I know. I’m sorry, okay? I already said that. I fucked up and now I gotta deal with the consequences. I know.” She sounds dejected, and you squeeze her hand, trying to put as much soothing energy into the gesture as you can.

“So, where is it? The evil spirit you summoned?” You try to look past her into the house, but it’s impossible to distinguish between the usual mess and what may have been caused by her intruder.

“Uuuuughh,” she groans. “Follow me. I’d say she’s harmless, ‘cept she’s obviously not. Hasn’t tried to hurt me or anything, though. We, uh, actually kinda wound up discussin’ the use of sympathetic magic in curses and what options are out there for if ya don’t have a picture or a name for the person you wanna curse. God, I’m fucking tired though. Can’t really sleep with an evil spirit in your bedroom, right?”

It’s your turn to blink in confusion as she tugs on your hand, pulling you into the tiny house and downstairs into the basement.

“Your bedroom? Seriously? You were doing this spell in your  _ bedroom _ ? You have an  _ entire house  _ to work in and you were doing this dangerous magic in your bedroom?!”

“Hey, don’t diss bedroom magic, that’s how I started out. Awkward little altar on my dresser, pentagram drawn onto the floor in chalk. But no, ‘course I wasn’t in my room, she just followed me in there.”

“I thought I told you to ward-”

“Listen. I can’t put up anything she won’t just break through. I’m startin’ to doubt if it was actually me who made a mistake and opened the circle or whatever, or if she just shoved her way in and, like, asserted herself.”

You’ve reached the bottom of the stairs; Marisa flicks a light switch, turning off the light that had illuminated the stairwell for your descent, and leads you into her room. Candlelight covers the cement walls with a gentle glow, while the smell of smoke from burning incense and herbs lingers in the air. And there, lounging in a worn old chair, can only be the evil spirit Marisa’s being bothered by.

You aren’t really sure what you expected, but a pretty woman with a huge bow on her pointy hat and nearly floor length green hair wasn’t it.

“So this is your exorcist girlfriend, hm? She’s a lot less intimidating than I was hoping for.”

Marisa rolls her eyes. “Yeah, well, just ‘cause she’s diminutive as shit doesn’t mean she can’t kick your ass seven ways ‘till Sunday and then drag you back just to do it again.”

“Oho, is that so? Well, if that’s the case, then I must say she’s gotten my interest.” The spirit glides from her seat, stopping a foot away from the two of you, smiling with false innocence. When she reaches out for you, you physically slap her with the purification rod you still hold, causing her to recoil.

“Hmph, I see. So she came prepared. Shinto, that’s unusual for around here, is it not? Brings back memories.”

You look at Marisa, who just shrugs. “Sorry, dude. I can’t explain any of this for ya.”

Looking back at the spirit, you put on your best intimidating voice.

“Why are you here,” you ask flatly. “What do you want with Marisa?”

“Just wanted to drop in for a visit. It get so  _ boooring  _ sometimes, you must understand.”

“What does? Bein’ an evil spirit?” Marisa asks the question you’re thinking, and you smile a little.

“Yes, actually. And it’s always so fun to find some young witch to mess around with, scare a bit, perhaps sabotage. It’s not so fun when the witch you choose just glares at you, threatening you with various objects and calling her exorcist girlfriend in.”

You sigh. “I’m a spirit worker, not a dedicated exorcist. I’m just very capable of performing exorcisms. Understand?”

“That’s what needed correcting…?” whispers Marisa, and you elbow her.

“Well, if you’re just going to stand there and talk, I can’t say I feel very threatened. In fact, all you’ve done is make the night a bit more interesting, so I suppose I must thank you for that.”

“Save it,” you grumble. Ignoring whatever the spirit said next, you turn to Marisa, pulling her back toward the stairs. “So what do you want me to do?”

Marisa shrugs. “I dunno. I told ya it was fine.”

“It’s obviously  _ not _ fine! She must be planning something, I just know it.”

“Well,  _ yeah,  _ of course she is. Isn’t that kinda the whole idea? I almost wanna see what it is, though, don’t you? I mean, it’s not every day something like this happens.”

“I’m curious, but not that curious. Just let me try to get her out of here.”

“It won’t work,” Marisa says with a tone of warning. “I’m tellin’ ya, she’s really strong. I don’t think you’ll be able to get rid of her that easily.”

“She’s right, you know!” calls the spirit, and you shoot her a dirty look before turning your attention back to the witch in front of you. She has ash smudged on her face, you realize, and you gently wipe her cheek with your sleeve as you talk.

“I just… don’t feel safe, leaving you here like this, with something like  _ that.  _ She hasn’t tried to hurt you yet, but what if that changes?”

“I don’t know, Reimu,” Marisa mumbles, looking away. “If I did, do you think we’d be standing here talkin’ about this?”

“I suppose not…” You wrap your arms around her neck, pulling her in close so you can rest your forehead against hers. “I don’t know what to do, either. If she’s as strong as you say then trying to remove her would only be asking for trouble. I don’t think I can do it on my own.”

“Well, I’m here too, you know,” She smiles a little. “We could try it together if it comes down to it.”

“We could, yeah. We’d need a plan, though, and we can’t come up with one standing here within earshot.”

Marisa steps back and nods before grabbing your hand and pulling you back up the stairs. When she closes the basement door, you retrieve an amulet out from your bag and tape it up.

“I doubt that’ll last long, but it’s better than nothing, right?”

Digging through all of Marisa’s books for relevant information proves to be an extremely daunting task, but eventually you stumble across something in a water damaged paperback, smelling faintly of mildew with the cover long since torn off.

“Where did you even get this?”

Marisa just shrugs. “Listen, I don’t know where half these books came from, really. Got a lot of ‘em at work, though. Maybe it came from there?”

“I kind of doubt that, but whatever. Take a look at this.” You shove the volume into her hands, pointing at a page. She just looks at it for several minutes, and you suspect she’s having trouble reading through all the water damage. Finally, she looks back up at you, tapping a fingernail on the page.

“This sounds kinda dodgy, but I guess this is the best source we have for now, unless we can find something better in this mess. If I thought we had more time, I’d ask at work later if we have anything on spirits or exorcisms or whatever, but… wait, shit! I open today, fuck, I completely forgot! Reimu, can you stay here and keep an eye on things? Please?” She grabs hold of your hands and looks at you pleadingly. You just roll your eyes.

“Fine, whatever. I’m here anyway, aren’t I?” You smile at her, but Marisa is frowning, squinting at something over your shoulder.

“Wait, what is it—FUCK!” You end up jumping and shouting in surprise as you turn to find that the spirit has made her way up here and is now hovering directly behind you, smirking. “What do you want?!”

“Wow, rude. Just wanted to check in on you two, I heard yelling.”

“Yeah, I remembered I got work in like an hour,” Marisa grumbles.

“Ah, so you’ll be leaving, then?”

“Uh, yeah. That’s kinda the idea.”

The spirit’s smile widens, and you shiver involuntarily. “You’ll be leaving the house empty, correct?”

“Nah, Reimu’s gonna stick around for me. What, you thought I’d actually leave you alone in here? No way. If it’d came down to it, I woulda just called into work and told ‘em I was sick or something. Or,” Marisa taps her chin. “I could have just told them the truth. They’d have understood, I think. Probably.”

“Where is it that you work where calling in and explaining that you accidentally summoned an evil spirit into your house would be a viable option? I’m genuinely curious.”

You giggle a bit in spite of yourself at the spirit’s words; if you didn’t know the answer already, you’d be asking that same thing.

“Eh, some occult shop a couple towns over. Really useful for getting my hands on stuff I’d never be able to otherwise, but in the end it’s still retail, ain’t it? No number of cool rocks or interesting spellbooks could change that. Still, I gotta go. If I didn’t, who’d pay for Reimu’s candy habit?”

“Hey!” You smack her on the arm.

“What? I’m right, aren’t I? You’ve got a serious problem, dude.”

You’re about ready to smack Marisa again, but before you can, the spirit makes a little  _ ahem  _ sound. Whoops.

“As entertaining as it is watching the two of you slap each other around, don’t you have something you need to be doing? And someone you need to be paying attention to?”

“Ah, you’re right,” Marisa agrees. “C’mon Rei, I gotta go get dressed for work and I want you to braid my hair.”

“You can braid your own hair…” you mumble, letting her pull you back downstairs. Behind you, the spirit makes an offended noise. Too bad.


	3. Chapter 3

You push Marisa out the door twenty minutes later, having gotten her ready in near record time, considering the situation. You’d even put some makeup on her to help hide the fact that she’d been up all night. As she’s about to get into her car, though, you run out and pull her aside for a kiss and a final confirmation of the current plan.

“I’ll keep you updated throughout the day on what’s happening via Skype, and I’ll call if anything serious comes up and you need to come home. You look around at work for anything that we could use.”

“Aw, some of that stuff’s so expensive. Do I gotta buy it or can I just borrow it for the night and put it back tomorrow?”

“That’s stealing, Marisa.”

“Not if I put it back it’s not.” You give her a Look, and she drops it before arguing further. “Whatever. I’ll do what I can. If you get a chance, keep looking through my books and let me know if you find anything useful, especially if it can tell us what exactly we need.”

“I’ll try. Now go, you don’t want to be late.”

“Again. Wouldn’t exactly be a first.” 

“Yes, again. Now bye!” You smile at her as she starts the car, stepping back and waving once she pulls out of the driveway. She’s not even speeding all that much, and you’re kind of proud. 

 

Back inside Marisa’s house, you take a look around and start gathering up the books that lie scattered everywhere. Might as well organize these while you’re going through them. Mentally, you count how long the silence lasts before...

“So, it’s just you and me now.” If this conversation were text based, there would be a heart at the end of that sentence. You don’t even bother looking up at the spirit, instead flipping through a book on basic witchcraft, written in a pretentious tone. Marisa has marked every single page with Xs, corrections, and snarky comments, and after reading a few of her angrier edits, you decide that’s enough of that and return the book to the pile. You’ll ask her about it later, perhaps. 

A few more books get stacked to one side, and you look up to find the spirit has now settled herself directly in front of you, hovering there with a smile. 

“You can’t ignore me forever. I’m not going anywhere. Come on, why not introduce yourself?”

“No,” you mumble, peering at the index of a thick hardcover encyclopedia of magic. “Why the hell would I do that?”

“Because it’s polite.” She snatches the book out of your hands, and you immediately reach for your bag to- where the fuck is your bag. You look around wildly, then glare at the spirit, putting as much malice and intimidation into the expression as you possibly can.

“Where is my b-” 

“Oh, it was making me a bit uncomfortable, so I hid it. Is that a problem?”

You feel like screaming. 

You don’t, but it’s a close thing.

Unsure what to do now, you pull your phone from your coat pocket and quickly message Marisa. In any other situation, you’d stand your ground to continue arguing and threatening, but you’re now fresh out of weapons and you don’t really feel like dying today.

 

**Reimu:** She took my bag oh my god

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** she what    
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** how the hell did she manage that??

**Reimu:** I don’t know!! One minute it’s there, the next minute it’s fucking gone and she says she “hid it”!!

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** dude   
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** i’m sorry but what do you want me to do about it?    
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** i’m kinda busy over here, i can’t just leave. believe me, if i could i’d already be on my way there.

**Reimu:** I don’t know!!!! I have no idea!!

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** hey whoa calm down. listen, go downstairs and check the trunk under my bed. should be something you could use in there. 

**Reimu:** Okay, I think I found the trunk but it’s locked.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** yeah, of course it is. 

**Reimu:** Then how am I supposed to get in? Do you want me to pick the lock??

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** you can if you wanna but i could also just tell you where the keys are, you know. like i was going to already.

**Reimu:** Oh   
**Reimu:** Right, sorry. Continue. 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** ok so there’s two keys. the first key is in the side room off the main room there. there’s a bunch of keys hanging on one wall with sigils drawn on em. it’s the unmarked one. 

**Reimu:** Is this some kind of scavenger hunt?

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** do you  _ want  _ me storing my dangerous shit in some box with no security on it whatsoever

**Reimu:** Just tell me where the other one is. 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** go unlock the first lock. it’ll open up into a compartment. when ya do, carefully pull the wooden panel off of the inside of the lid. it’s under there.

**Reimu:** This is ridiculous, but alright.   
**Reimu:** Okay, I’ve got it. Um, what is all this stuff?

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** very little of it is any of your concern. what you’re looking for is on the rightmost side. there’s a jar of really nasty war water i put together a year or so back (please don’t spill any of that on yourself)

**Reimu:** I wasn’t planning on it.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** there’s also a bag of broken glass. there’s protective sigils i charged the shit outta on them, just don’t cut yourself bc they’re really sharp. idk i guess you could make wards with em? like, put em in the corners of a room or whatever. behind that, there’s a vial of this defensive… stuff that i made. bit of war water, some pepper, black salt, cinnamon, dried and crushed hellebore petals, frankincense, and a bit of my own blood. you can use that for warding too or whatever. idk figure out the rest, i got a customer here.

**Reimu:** This early in the morning? 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** yeah i know right   
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** this like, weird blonde girl, looks school aged, askin me about all kinds of stuff. right now she’s looking at crystal pendulums. i think she might be cutting class just to be here, actually

**Reimu:** Are you going to tell anyone? 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** do i look like a snitch to you  
 **Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** no way, i remember those days. i remain grateful even now that the employees at the occult shops i haunted during school hours as a kid didn’t say anything.  
 **Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** wait oh my god she just asked me for my number g o o d b y e

**Reimu:** Oh my god? 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** phew ok she just wanted to be able to ask me more stuff later on. whatever, gave it to her. 

**Reimu:** I think she’s into you.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** literally shut the hell up? 

**Reimu:** Fiiine   
**Reimu:** Okay, I warded your basement and I’m working on the living room. The only problem is that the spirit’s currently in here and I kind of need to get her out so that I can do this properly. 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** can’t you just like kick her out or something? you’ve got all that junk, use it.

**Reimu:** Marisa, do you understand the caliber of your selection of protective items? Just asking. After all, a lot of it is extremely powerful and thus dangerous.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** i made it all myself, didn’t i? i know what i’m doing, you know. i’ve been at this longer than you if you’ll recall, so maybe could you please stop constantly doubting me and my knowledge? 

**Reimu:** It’s not that I’m doubting your knowledge, it’s just that I don’t really think you’re actually ready for this kind of stuff. You’re kinda reckless, you know, and sometimes that’s a good thing, but now you’re just putting yourself needlessly in danger. 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** whatever.   
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** have fun with your new friend there. i think she likes you.   
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** maybe you can ask her to tell you about how carefully i had cast my circle and set up my shielding, how all my usual wards for ritual work were up and active, how i was just trying to get some insight on something, seeking advice from spirits bc i had literally no idea where else to turn, and wound up with her instead. 

**Reimu:** Marisa, look.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** save it. i gotta go. 

**Reimu:** Marisa   
**Reimu:** I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.    
**Reimu:** ...dammit

 

You nearly throw your phone across the room in frustration, but that wouldn’t get you anywhere. Instead, you just grab Marisa’s bag of glass shards and start setting up wards, scowling the entire time. The spirit remains strangely quiet for several more minutes before heading over to you, carefully remaining several feet away. 

“Things aren’t going so well, then?” 

You don’t respond, just looking pointedly away from her as you select a shard from the bag. The sigil on it definitely looks like one of Marisa’s. 

“Want to talk about it?”

“What’s the point of even asking that? You know the answer already.” 

“Hm,” she seems to genuinely consider this. “I suppose because it’s better than watching you mope over here for the next twelve hours.”

“Thanks.” You’re about to go back to moping anyway, but then what Marisa said replays in your mind. 

“Listen,” you set aside the shard in your hands and look directly at the spirit, making eye contact. She doesn’t look away. “What was Marisa even doing that caused you to come here? She never told me.”

“Do you think that knowledge will help you kick out the mean old evil spirit who interrupted her ritual?”

You mentally count backwards from 10 to calm yourself before answering. “No. I just want to know, okay? She told me to ask you.”

“Did she, now? Very well then. You want to know what your girlfriend was up to at nearly 5 in the morning, performing a ritual you seem to think was too dangerous? She was  _ pleading  _ for help from anyone who would listen, going on about how nothing is working for her anymore, how all of her spells fail no matter how hard she tries and how she can’t even find the energy for psychic shielding anymore. She was begging for someone, anyone to tell her what she was doing wrong, clearly feeling as though she’s a sham, not really a witch or something along those lines.”

“She… what?” You can’t even understand what the spirit is getting at initially. “You’re lying, that doesn’t sound like Marisa. You’ll have to try harder than that to fool me, you know.” 

“Ah,” she smiles. “I figured you would say something like that. And yet there you were, undermining her even further than she already was with herself. No wonder she got upset with you.”

“Wh- hey, how did you know that?” You reach for your pocket and find that your phone is still there, untouched. “What did you do?”

“I read over your shoulder. What, did you think I was causing some sort of trouble, tricking you or reading your mind or something of that sort?” 

Oh. You ignore her words and continue. “Yeah, Marisa was upset. But it’s not even 8 AM yet, she stayed up all night, got her ritual interrupted by an evil spirit, and is working retail on top of it all. I’d be pretty easily upset too.” 

“Interrupted? You really still think that’s what happened, that I just broke in to pester your girlfriend for no reason other than the fact that I could?” 

“Um, well…” 

“I came to  _ answer  _ her, you insolent girl. She was quite literally begging for help, and I couldn’t take any more of it. If you hadn’t shown up, I would have been able to quickly speak with her and try to determine the source of her problems, tell her what to do about it, and then leave. No harm done, no trouble caused. However, her immediate reaction was to contact you, and you insisted on coming all the way here after she told you it was entirely unnecessary.”

“I _ — _ ” Wow, you’re really starting to feel like shit. Of course, there’s the very real chance that you’re being lied to right now with that exact intention, to make you feel terrible, but… it makes sense, and that just makes you feel even worse. Thinking back, Marisa has hardly been talking about magic at all the last several months, when normally that’s what occupies most of her attention. Rather, she deflected all questions about her workings back to you, asking what you’d been doing. Then, twice in the past few hours she has become upset at the suggestion she wasn’t capable of handling this situation. 

You quietly pull out your phone and message Marisa again. Skype says she’s offline, but hopefully that just means she has it set to invisible so that you wouldn’t bother her further. 

 

**Reimu:** I asked her, like you said.    
**Reimu:** Was she telling the truth? Were you really performing your ritual so you could ask for help?   
**Reimu:** Why didn’t you tell me you were having problems? I know a thing or two about energy work, I could’ve tried to help you figure it out. You didn’t need to go indiscriminately asking spirits for answers.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** can i just stop you right there before this turns into a lecture? i’m  _ really  _ not in the mood. 

**Reimu:** I’m not lecturing you, and no, I will not stop there. Seriously, why didn’t you just tell me something was wrong? You know I’m always here for you, Marisa.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** because of this!! i barely even  _ suggest  _ that i need help and you immediately go accusing me of not being capable of anything! newsflash, reimu, but i don’t know every goddamn thing there is to know about magic and summonings and shit!

**Reimu:** I said I was sorry.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** and yet i’m really not getting that “sorry” vibe from you. 

**Reimu:** Well, I am.   
**Reimu:** Did you know what she came here for, though? The evil spirit? 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** uh, not particularly. i figured she heard my stupid pleas and came to mock me for it or whatever.

**Reimu:** Of course, I’m not saying I totally believe her, but she says she actually came to help you? 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** what

**Reimu:** Right? She said she couldn’t listen to any more of your begging or something like that.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** great. that’s just fucking perfect. i ask for help ONE time and everything goes to shit. 

**Reimu:** _ Ahem, if I may. I doubt I’ll be able to keep this from your persistent girlfriend for long, but I was not lying about what I said to her. You don’t need to accept my help, but I thought I would offer anyway. It’s been a terribly long time since I’ve done anything like this, and I wanted to change things up a bit.  _

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** oh my god i’m IMing an evil spirit, this sounds like a shitpost or something???? 

**Reimu:** _...Anyway. We can discuss this further when you return. Or, I could sneak past your girlfriend and her incomplete wards and come there. _

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** holy shit i seriously do not recommend coming here

**Reimu:** _ Now I feel as if I have to. Be prepared. _

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** i’m???????????? yeah ok whatever, have fun i guess?

**Reimu:** OH MY GOD have I mentioned how much I hate your houseguest, Marisa?

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** so she’s my houseguest now, huh? 

**Reimu:** She just snatched the phone out of my hands! And earlier she did the same thing with a book I was looking at! She’s really rude.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** you know, somehow i don’t think she particularly cares if she’s rude or not

**Reimu:** Okay, but still. You have to admit that   
**Reimu:** Oh my god where did she go

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** you lost her.

**Reimu:** I looked away for ten seconds?    
**Reimu:** _ AAAAAAAAAあああああああああああああああああああ _

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** shh. calm down. i know where she went.

**Reimu:** You do?

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** yeah, she told me she was gonna sneak past you and your wards so she could come here to the shop

**Reimu:** And you didn’t think to share this with me this because…??

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** idk, guess i wanted to see if she could actually do it

**Reimu:** I hate you

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** ❤️

**Reimu:** I really mean it.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** no you don’t

**Reimu:** No, I don’t.    
**Reimu:** Oh, I found my bag. 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** where’d she put it?

**Reimu:** On top of the refrigerator. 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** oh my god, the real reimu-proof hiding place   
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** reimu i think i’m in love here

**Reimu:** Don’t you start.    
**Reimu:** Anyway… how can I get over to your shop? 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** there’s a bus that leaves at like 8:43 or something like that from the stop downtown by the fast food places

**Reimu:** Got it. Um… 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** there’s cash in the jar on my bedside table

**Reimu:** …Thanks, Marisa. 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** yeah, no problem. get yourself some breakfast too, alright? i don’t want you passing out on me or anything. 

**Reimu:** Well, if you insist.   
**Reimu:** And Marisa?

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** yeah?

**Reimu:** I really am sorry. I didn’t know something was wrong, but even so, I still shouldn’t have doubted you like that. You’re right, you  _ have  _ been at this longer than me, and just because our specialties and styles are different doesn’t mean that your knowledge is somehow inferior to mine. 

**Reimu:** So, I’m sorry. 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** …thanks, rei.    
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** i know it must’ve been hard for you to admit that so   
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** it’s okay. i forgive you. 

**Reimu:** Thank you. 

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** no problem. now get going, you have half an hour and i want you to at  _ least  _ get yourself a really big muffin and a cup of tea.    
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** oh! and get me something too alright   
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** i haven’t eaten since yesterday   
**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** nothing in particular, you know what i like

**Reimu:** Will do. See you soon, then.

**Gays In Space™ (marisa ☆):** yup. see you soon. ❤️

 

Well, that actually went better than you had hoped. Despite everything, you find yourself feeling a little bit happier as you go take some money from Marisa’s jar, pull your shoes and coat on, and start walking in the direction of this town’s business district. You don’t actually know what all is around here, given you usually just stay at Marisa’s house, but there’s a little artsy coffee shop there that she’s taken you to a few times, and that becomes your destination. 

 

Between your own lack of sleep and your lingering worries over this entire situation you’ve found yourself in, you barely even notice the stares people give you as they get a look into your bag, Marisa’s protective items now added to your own amulets, your purification rod sticking out, far too long to fit very well. The cashier at the coffee shop wishes you good luck with “whatever it is you’re doing”, and as you sip your coffee on the bus, several of your fellow passengers keep glancing over at you, looking away quickly when you take notice.

It’s another 10 minute walk from the bus stop to the shop Marisa works at; when the bell jingles as you open the door, you see her grin and wave at you from behind the counter, no sign of her troubles on her face aside from the sleeplessness.

“Where is she?”

“And hello to you too, Rei,” Marisa says, rolling her eyes. You can tell she’s not actually bothered. “She’s in the back, looking through some of the stock there. My manager is totally oblivious, it’s kind of hilarious. He’s always goin’ on about how perceptive and psychic he is, but there is literally an entire evil spirit in the back room and he hasn’t even noticed.”

As she speaks, you pull out a huge, plastic wrapped poppy seed muffin and a blueberry scone from your bag and set them down in front of Marisa, along with a cup of strong black tea, the way you know she likes. A second muffin is pulled out for yourself, which you unwrap and start nibbling on, leaning on the counter. 

“Really? So, only you and I can see her?” 

“Ah, thanks. And yeah, it’s looking that way. Do you think we’re the only ones perceptive enough to see her, or is she doing that on purpose?”

“Well, it’d be a little weird if you thought you were just talking to thin air, wouldn’t it?” Once again, you jump as the spirit appears directly behind you. You glare, and she gives you a little wink. You feel vaguely threatened. 

“Still looks like we’re just talking to thin air to everyone else, don’t it? That doesn’t really help any.” Marisa’s smile has grown a little, and you’re filled with a sharp annoyance that this damn spirit got her to smile like that. 

“Well,” The spirit shrugs, smiling back at her. “You can’t have it all, I suppose.” 

“Pfft, I guess not. So what’d ya find?” She leans forward to look at the small stack of books that just got set down on the counter. Your sense of annoyance grows. 

“There wasn’t much, let me tell you. What a sad selection of so-called magical texts.”

“They gotta carry the real popular stuff, I guess, and that’s not necessarily the best material out there. So? What was there that wasn’t crap?”

“Wait.” You interrupt, expression turned hard. “What the hell are you two talking about? Marisa, I thought you were looking for books on how to  _ get rid  _ of her, not letting her search the storerooms for random books on magic!”

“I wouldn’t exactly call ‘em ‘storerooms’,” Marisa corrects. “And besides, she wants to help me with my magic, doesn’t she? So she’s looking for some stuff for me to try out, resources to use and the such.”

“You’re letting her stay.” It’s not a question. 

“Yeah? I mean, it can’t hurt to just see how it goes, right? And if it turns out she’s nothing but trouble after all, I’ll kick her outta here myself.” 

“Rude,” the spirit mutters. “But I suppose that is fair.”

“Marisa! Of course she’s trouble! She’s an evil spirit! That is, by definition, trouble!” You can’t believe this. 

“Sure, but I said if she’s ‘nothing but trouble’. If she’s at all helpful, then she wouldn’t  _ just  _ be trouble, understand? And that’s fine by me. What do you think, um…” She’s addressing the spirit now, but frowning in confusion. “Um…”

“It’s Mima,” She crosses her arms with a smile that can only be called satisfied. “It’s about time you asked.”

“Yeeeah, sorry ‘bout that, wasn’t sure if it’d be such a good idea, ya know?” Marisa rubs the back of her neck a little sheepishly. “Anyway, what do you think, Miss Mima?”

“I’m really getting tempted to try causing trouble, just to see what you two would do about it, but no, I didn’t come here with that intention. If that ever changes, you’re free to try and remove me.” Her tone tells you that she believes that to be an impossibility, almost as if she’s challenging you. The smugness she always seems to carry with her just makes you dislike her more. 

You wonder what it’d take to get Marisa to see things the way you do. She’s too friendly for her own good, really; but, then again, it’s because of that friendliness that you and her are together now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The blonde girl looking at pendulums in the shop is Flandre, making a cameo appearance.


	4. Chapter 4

You’d met Marisa twice before actually ever learning her name; she had attended the same university as you for exactly two semesters before dropping out. Graduating high school early at 16, she was 17 and starting at the school at the same time as you (18). Your first encounter had been just before the second semester had started, when you were panicking in the school bookstore, unable to afford the last of your required textbooks. She’d come over, looked at the books you’d stacked up on the counter for checkout, and told you she’d taken the same class last semester, offering to give you her copy of the text. 

“I was gonna just sell it,” she’d said, shrugging. “But it looks like you need it more than I do.” 

You’d almost started crying, but, for your credit, had not. She dropped the book off at your dorm that evening and you didn’t see her again for another few weeks, when you managed to run directly into her on your way to class.

She’d assured you it was okay as you apologized, picking up your dropped books and papers and handing them back to you with an almost sly grin. You’re certain now, in retrospect, that she was thinking something along the lines of “this is just like a shitty romcom”, or possibly “shit, I’m gay”. As you’d opened up your bag to shove what you could inside in hopes of avoiding another such incident, she’d gotten a glimpse inside at the amulets you carried with you always. You didn’t know this until later, of course, when she told you, but at the time she just continued grinning at you as she waved you off to class. 

Finally, halfway through the semester, she had approached you in the library as you were making notes and writing down plans for the task you intended on tackling that night; several malevolent spirits were residing in an abandoned building in a neighborhood across town, and after a month and a half of observing the effects on the residents, you decided to take action and do something about it. 

Marisa had slid into the chair beside you at the table, peering over your shoulder at your journal, all written in Japanese. You’d figured she couldn’t read it and thus didn’t particularly care; that is, until she reached over and drew in a sigil on the margins of the page before you could stop her. Then, she gave you a big smile and told you that the sigil would be “a thousand or so times more effective” for the banishing you intended to perform. After talking for almost another hour, you invited her to accompany you that night, saying that bringing an experienced witch along might prove useful. You were right.

It had been your first time attempting any sort of large scale exorcism like that. You’d needed to perform a few banishings in the past, of course, but never before had you intentionally sought out trouble with the intention of resolving it. Marisa met you at the building at 11:45 PM and followed you inside; not wanting to unnecessarily put her in danger, you’d asked her to wait in the other room as you performed your rite. You didn’t know at the time how impatient she is, and after five minutes, she’d come bursting in only to find you kneeling on the ground, overwhelmed. You’d taken plenty of measures to protect the neighborhood, to protect Marisa, but not to protect yourself, and with your naturally heightened sensitivity to such things, the force of the negative energies present had left you physically in pain, unable to act. 

Seeing you like that, Marisa immediately ran to your side, pulling a dingy jar and a handmade wand from her patchwork bag. She’d poured the contents of the jar around the two of you to create a powerful ward, and with her wand in hand, gestured and shouted the words to a banishing rite you’d never heard of before, repeating it over and over until she had single handedly driven out every malevolent presence in the building. 

When she guided you out of the building and you shakily thanked her for her help, she’d asked for two things in return for her efforts: first, you were to go home, sleep, and never do anything like this again without her by your side. Then, she asked for you to accompany her to “a witchy thing” the following night, assuring you it’d be much safer than your trip had been. 

When she took you to the full moon esbat being held by an open coven the next night, it was the most fun you’d had in recent memory. You still have a picture of her from then, all dressed up in black and white, ruffles at the hem of her dress and on the brim of her oversized witch hat. You’d teased her at the time for looking so stereotypical, but the photo later became one of your favorites of her you’ve ever taken. 

Two months later, you were staying at her house for the summer, not really having anywhere else to go. The two of you spent days curled up together under the blankets of her bed in the cool basement, watching shitty movies on a carefully balanced laptop and occasionally daring to kiss each other lightly. You’d never really even needed to say anything; the two of you just wound up together, and when one night you’d stuttered out an uncharacteristically nervous “I love you” while laying in the grass stargazing together, Marisa had just laughed and told you she already knew. 

 

You look at Marisa now and wonder if her friendliness, the way she ends up trying to befriend even those who were in direct opposition to her days prior, is going to get her in trouble. 

To be fair, it already has in the past. How many times have you warned her about someone, only to wind up trying to console her as she fumes and rants about them days, weeks, or months later? 

She’s smiling back, big and genuine, at the smirking evil spirit who says she’s only here to help. You think they’re discussing some of the popular books on witchcraft out there; you recognize a title as belonging to the thoroughly marked and corrected book from Marisa’s house. She laughs at some remark the spirit makes about the text, and you feel a sudden possessiveness, stepping around the counter without even thinking and wrapping an arm around Marisa’s shoulder. 

“What’s up, Rei?” Marisa looks up at you in mild surprise. Normally, you shy away from PDA, fearing that the two of you may be targeted for your relationship. 

“I just wanted to say hi,” you lie, eliciting a snort of disbelief from the spirit. It almost feels as though your glares do nothing but encourage her further. 

“Well, hi.” She presses a kiss to your hair and you blush a little in spite of yourself. “What, got something to say about it?” The last part is directed at Mima, who shakes her head slightly.

“Of course not. I merely find your girlfriend’s obvious jealousy amusing.” 

“I am  _ not  _ jealous!” you protest. Marisa laughs, and you flick her on the arm in retaliation. “It’s not funny, either!”

“It’s a little funny,” Marisa points out. “Don’t worry, she’s not gonna replace you. I mean, who else can serve as a convenient armrest as well as you? She’s way too tall.” 

“I feel used.” 

“Well, I’m sure you’re only into me for my stunning good looks, ‘cause god knows my personality leaves a thing or two to be desired, right? So we’re even.” 

“Untrue,” you correct. “Your looks are only about 75% of it, with a 10% margin of error.”

“Ouch. I’m hurt, Reimu.”

“Wounded, even?” Mima asks seriously.

“ _ Yes, _ ” exclaims Marisa. “Wounded!”

“Well, that’s just too bad. I guess, with you so deeply injured, I’ll just have to move on, find some other witch girl to bother—I mean teach. Of course.” 

“What a shame,” Marisa laughs. “I bet Reimu’s just devastated to hear that.” 

The conversation is lighthearted, full of humor, and you don’t want to mess that up, not after upsetting Marisa what must’ve been less than an hour ago. So, you nod solemnly. “Absolutely. I don’t know how I’m going to handle this news.” 

“Hmm… I suppose I could stick around, just for you, dear, sweet, precious Reimu.” 

“Don’t push it,” you tell her sternly, causing both her and Marisa to laugh now.

A part of you is still bitter that this stranger, this  _ evil spirit  _ can get Marisa to smile and laugh like that, but you try to shake it off the best you can. You hadn’t even realized Marisa was upset, and then had only managed to make it worse. It’s not your place to take away anything that could cheer her up. Indeed, even though technically it’s because of Mima that you wound up doubting and subsequently upsetting Marisa earlier, it’s also because of her that not only did you make up with Marisa, but you also discovered that something had been really bothering her, something you’d been entirely oblivious to. Had it been left up to her, Marisa would never have told you something was wrong until she couldn’t take it anymore. This way, you can try to help her before she reaches that point. Right?

You realize you’ve been staring blankly at Mima the entire time you were considering this, and when you shake your head a bit, as if to clear your thoughts, she gives you a curious look. The two of you remain like this for several moments, until you finally nod slightly and look away, turning your attention back to Marisa; out of the corner of your eye, you can see Mima’s expression change as she clearly goes through the process of figuring out what just happened. When she reaches your meaning, her gaze falls on you and she nods as well. 

You’ll leave her be, but she needs to behave; you’re trusting her with Marisa here, after all. If you even begin to suspect that something’s wrong, you  _ will  _ put a stop to it, well before Marisa would consider it an issue. Fortunately, it seems she understands that perfectly well, and is willing to accept these unspoken terms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this wound up so short! Here's a bit of backstory, at least, if you're into that.
> 
> Edit [11/2/16]: The backstory here was expanded upon in the side story "How to Make Friends in Five Easy Steps! (Results May Vary)", found here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/8457691/chapters/19376548


	5. Chapter 5

Every time a customer walks into the shop and glances toward the counter, where Mima and yourself linger and wait for Marisa’s shift to end, you stiffen and pray that none of these people are sensitive enough to detect Mima’s presence. No one ever says anything, but several do look in your direction, unnerving you.

“Relax, Rei. They’re probably just staring at you, ‘cause you’re so adorable. I doubt they’re seeing Miss Mima.”

“But  _ we  _ can see her. Who’s to say nobody else will? If there was any one place where you’d find people sensitive to spirits and energy, it’d be here.”

Mima claps a hand on your shoulder, and it’s all you can do to not slap her away; the only reason you don’t is because you worry that someone will see you seemingly slapping at thin air. 

“I am only  _ allowing  _ you two to see me right now. The other patrons of this shop may be able to feel my presence on some level, but they certainly cannot see nor hear me.” 

“Can they smell you though?” Marisa asks, her bored expression unchanging. 

“Excuse me?” Mima raises an eyebrow.

“Like, you said they can’t see or hear you. But there’s other senses too, right? Could they smell you?”

The spirit seems to be at a loss for words, a first that you savor for the few precious moments it lasts. Finally, she slowly answers, “No. They cannot smell me, either.” 

“What if they bumped into you? Could they feel that you’re there?” 

“ _ No,  _ Marisa. Stop asking.”

“Jeez, alright. Just tryin’ to make conversation. This place is so boring this time of day. I mean, nobody comes into an occult shop at noon on a Tuesday! They just don’t.” 

“We’re in an occult shop at noon on a Tuesday,” you point out, smiling at her. You’re hoping to distract her from her boredom, if only a little, as well as to keep tensions down. “So that has to count for something, right?”

“I guess? I mean, you’re only here because I am. And I work here, so that certainly doesn’t count. In any case,” Marisa is interrupted by a yawn, and rather than finishing her sentence, she just lays her head down on the counter, hair spread out over its glass surface. “‘m tired. Can I take a nap?” 

“When’s your break?” You pat Marisa’s head, running your fingers through her hair absently. 

“Um. 1, I think.”

“That’s not too bad,” Mima remarks. “You could nap then, perhaps?”

“An’ where am I gonna do that?” Gold eyes meet bright green as Marisa looks up at Mima from her new spot on the counter.

“Right there should be fine, don’t you think? I’m sure no one will mind.”

That gets a laugh out of Marisa. “Yeah, no one will mind except for, like, everybody. The perfect plan.”

“Yes, I’m glad we could agree on this,” Mima smiles. “There’s only an hour to go before your nap, but for now, you should probably sit up and pretend to care, just in case a customer approaches you.” 

Marisa lifts her head from the counter so she can give Mima a questioning look more easily. “You ever work retail or somethin’?”

“No, but I did spend some time in Hell a while back, if that counts,” she replies, not quite able to suppress a chuckle at her own joke. Marisa snorts a laugh, and you smile in spite of yourself. 

 

When Marisa’s break does come, the three of you head outside, walking several blocks to a large municipal park running alongside a river. There, sitting on a ledge, Marisa pulls out the food you’d bought her back at the coffee shop and takes a huge bite of the muffin.

“Thanks Rei, holy shit. Don’t make my mistakes dude, don’t forget to eat for an entire day.” 

“How do you forget to eat?” Mima asks the question before you can.

“Lotsa different ways, but in this case it was getting sucked into researching and preparing a ritual, accidentally summoning an evil spirit, having my girlfriend travel 50 miles to help deal with the situation, and _ then _ having to work right after that. So, ya know.” She takes another bite of the muffin and shrugs. 

The three of you sit in silence for a few minutes as Marisa eats, and you find yourself gazing out into the park, watching the various pedestrians make their way past on the path. It’s October now, but the autumn sun is still warm on clear days like this, causing the temperature this afternoon to be perfectly comfortable.

A gentle breeze sends some leaves tumbling to the ground, and you bend forward to pick up a bright red one, which you tuck into Marisa’s hair. She looks over at you curiously as you adjust it, then take a picture of her and hand your phone over so she can look.

“Okay, that’s just silly looking,” she says, a laugh in her voice.

“I think it looks nice,” you tell her. “Almost like a flower, but more seasonally appropriate.” 

“There’s such a thing as fall flowers you know. Red ones, too. You don’t need to go sticking an entire leaf in my hair.” 

“A leaf is more creative than a flower though, isn’t it?” Mima asks. 

“Well, I  _ guess, _ ” Marisa admits. “But it’s still silly.”

“And yet, you’re not trying to stop me.” You press a kiss to her hair, careful to not jostle the delicately positioned maple leaf. She just smiles and blushes slightly under your affection, filling your chest with warmth.

When her break time is up and the three of you return to the shop, Marisa keeps wearing the leaf you gave her. Whenever anyone comments on it, whether to ask if she’s aware that she has a leaf in her hair, or just to compliment the originality of it, she gives you a sideways look. You just grin back at her. 

 

At 3 PM, you find yourself scolding and threatening Mima after stopping her from following customers around the store, knocking things over behind them and blowing on the back of their heads. Marisa was struggling not to laugh the entire time, and you didn’t even realize it was happening until one particularly loud crashing sound, having been absorbed in a video on your phone. 

Mima doesn’t seem particularly intimidated by you, insisting that it was just “harmless fun, if a bit stereotypical”, which just makes Marisa laugh harder until you only half-jokingly make an attempt at shoving her off her chair. 

Five hours to go. 

 

You fall asleep near 5 PM, resting your head on the counter, but are awoken some two hours later by a distant noise. You open your eyes, see Mima, and then promptly close them once again. Wait a second… where  _ are  _ you? 

Confused, you look around; you’re lying in the bench seat on the back of a bus, with what you recognize as Marisa’s jacket draped over your shoulders. Mima sits beside you, carefully remaining just far enough away as to not be touching you. 

“Good evening,” she says, not looking up from the book she reads. “You seem to have slept well.” 

“Uh… yeah. What’s going on?” You pull out your phone and check the time; 7:28 PM, nearly the end of Marisa’s shift. Did she decide to leave work early?

No, can’t be. She’s not even here, you realize, glancing around the bus at your fellow passengers. Her signature unruly bleach blonde hair is nowhere to be found. 

“You fell asleep.”

“I know that much,” you grumble. “I mean, why are we on a bus?”

“Marisa. She decided to send you home early, rather than let you continue sleeping on the counter. I was in favor of just moving you to the floor but unfortunately was given the task of assuring you made it back to her house instead.” 

You realize that this probably means Mima carried you, fast asleep, all the way to the bus stop, and then onto the bus. How did she pay the fare? How did she even do all that without being seen?? Surely she didn’t have some way to make  _ you  _ invisible as well. Right?

“How did y _ — _ ” 

“Easily, that’s how.” 

“But…” 

Mima sighs, closing her book. “Right now, everyone on this bus can see both you and I, and though they probably think we’re weird, they haven’t noticed anything wrong. Don’t push our luck. If you really must know, I’ll tell you all about how I carried your sleeping ass several blocks onto a bus once we are  _ off  _ said bus.” 

You glare at her, but don’t press the issue any further. She just looks back at you, expression unreadable, for several long moments before returning to her book. Curiously you lean over, trying to see what it is she’s reading, only to have her push you away. 

“Must you do that?”

“Where’d you get that book?” 

“The book tree,” she says flatly, no longer trying to conceal her sarcasm behind a charming tone. “Where’d you think I got it from?” 

“I just figured you stole it from Marisa’s shop, honestly.” 

“I didn’t  _ steal  _ it. I presented Marisa with the monetary value the book was labeled with, she placed the money into the drawer wherein it is stored, and then presented me with the book, now in my ownership.” 

“You bought it?” you question. “Where’d you get the money?”

Mima is starting to look annoyed. “Can you  _ please  _ stop asking so many questions?”

“So you stole it.” 

“Do you have any idea how tempted I am to atomize you right now?” she snaps. 

_ And there it is. _ You’d been wondering how long it’d be before she openly threatened you. You pull out your phone and message Marisa.

 

**Reimu:** Your phantom girlfriend is threatening me.    
**Reimu:** Just thought you should know. 

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** what’d you do to piss her off

**Reimu:** I was just asking about the book she’s got. 

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** mmhmm, is that so? 

**Reimu:** It is.

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** really?

**Reimu:** I swear that it is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** fine i’ll believe you…… this time    
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** also she’s not my girlfriend

**Reimu:** Pfft, I was waiting for you to say that.

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** so are you guys back at my place yet?

**Reimu:** Not yet. I think we’re almost to the stop though. 

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** how long have you been awake? 

**Reimu:** Um, about five minutes.

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** you looked so cute sleeping there on the counter   
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** just sayin   
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** i woulda just left you there but miss mima thought that was probably a bad idea if i want to keep my job or whatever

**Reimu:** And do you want to keep your job or whatever?

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** i’m a fan of not starving to death hbu

**Reimu:** That sounds reasonable.    
**Reimu:** Oh, we’re off the bus and heading to your house now. I’m not sure how nobody’s noticed the whole phantom thing yet?

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** huh   
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** ya know i didn’t think about that until just now   
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** damn that’s weird

**Reimu:** Right?? But nothing about this can exactly be considered normal, can it?

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** you got that right. not even by our standards is this normal. it’s still cool though, don’t you think? 

**Reimu:** Do I have to answer that?

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** well i think it’s cool   
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** besides isn’t this like, a learning opportunity for you? not like you’ve ever hung out with an evil spirit before. 

**Reimu:** I don’t know what I’d be learning from this, other than the fact that normal wards don’t seem to stop them. And I think she might be a special case, anyway. 

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** yeah you’re probably right there. she feels crazy powerful and i haven’t even seen her use any of that power yet.  
 **casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** like she is just _drenched_ in magical energy. once you’ve been working with magic for a while, you kinda start being able to notice other people who do the same, like you can just sorta sense the magic on them.   
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** and well, i’ve never experienced that so strongly in all my years of doing this stuff

**Reimu:** Oh, really? I kind of got the same feeling, but I figured it was just the overwhelming negative energy that one comes in contact with when literally five inches away from an evil spirit. Now that you mention it though…   
**Reimu:** If something were to happen. If she were to turn on us… Would we even be able to do anything about it? 

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** probably not. hmhmhm… that means though, if she doesn’t turn on us and is actually like, on our side or whatever   
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** wouldn’t she be a fantastic weapon against  _ other  _ bad shit? like, think about it. she’d probably know even better than us what to do to deal with whatever hypothetical bad situations we tend to come across, and has the power to back it up.    
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** with her alongside us, we’d be able to take on problems that we never could before with just the two of us alone. 

**Reimu:** Huh, you’re right. I didn’t think about that. 

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** say that again, i love hearing those words from you   
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** “you’re right”

**Reimu:** :P   
**Reimu:** We’ve arrived at your place by the way. You gave her a key?

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** how the hell else was she gonna get in   
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** wait don’t answer that

**Reimu:** Pfft yeah, I was gonna  _ say… _ .

**Reimu:** Hey, Marisa? Could I take a nap in your bed? I’ll move when you get home if you want me to. 

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** that is literally the most pointless question ever like 1. you’ve slept in my bed a million times before and 2. we’ve slept in my bed together a million times before

**Reimu:** That’s true.   
**Reimu:** ‘Night, then. 

**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** i’ll be home before too long here    
**casually screaming magical girls (marisa ☆):** sleep well! ❤️

 

After pulling off your shoes and shirt, you settle down in Marisa’s bed, pull the blankets up to your chin, and close your eyes. You sometimes have difficulty sleeping back in your dorm, where as soon as you lay down your mind is filled with thoughts and ideas; but here, wrapped up in soft blankets that carry Marisa’s scent, you have no such problem. Still, you’re just barely awake enough after a while to feel the bed shift, followed by warmth pressed up against you as Marisa wraps her arms around you. 

In this moment, you feel safe.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween!

When you awaken, Marisa’s still asleep; a glance over at her bedside table reveals the time to be 6:34 AM. Ugh, stupid classes getting you into the habit of waking far earlier than you’d like to. You roll over, draping your arm over your head with the intention of going back to sleep, but you feel a hand on your shoulder and look to find Marisa gazing at you sleepily, eyes half closed. 

“Rei?” she mumbles. “Whatcha doin’ up?” 

“I’d like to know the same thing,” you tell her, moving to wrap your arms around her and pull her close to your chest. “Guess I’m just used to waking up early because of class.” 

“Ah…” She closes her eyes and relaxes against you for a moment, only to sit back up, frowning. “Wait a second, shouldn’t you be on your way to class like,  _ right now _ ?”

You make a noncommittal grunt. “I guess…” 

“Reimu! Aren’t you like, _paying_ for college? Oh my god.”

“Don’t yell…” you grumble, pushing your hand over her mouth. “‘S too early.” 

“Well,” she begins, removing your hand from her face and holding it to her chest instead. “Guess I can’t really do anythin’ about it. I’m not driving you fifty miles at 6 AM so you can go to some boring religion class.” 

“Actually, I have Algebra 110 at 7:30.” 

“That’s even worse.” Marisa shakes her head before laying back against you once more. “Whatcha gonna do to catch up, though? How long do you even plan on staying?”

“I suppose I’ll probably leave in a day or two. I just wanna make sure everything’s okay here before I go.” 

“That’s not too bad, then. I guess it shouldn’t be too hard for you to catch up.” 

“Yeah,” you agree, closing your eyes. You have a soft and warm girlfriend laying on you, so clearly it is time to sleep.

...

“Up already, then? I expected the two of you to stay there until noon. And what are you talking about so early in the morning?”

You don’t even move when you hear Mima’s voice. Instead, you just grab the nearest thing you can reach, a random pillow not currently in use.

“May I?” you ask Marisa, who just hums in response. Without opening your eyes, you fling the pillow across the room in the direction of the unwelcome voice and laugh ever so slightly when you hear a dull thud and a tiny “hmph” from Mima a few seconds later.

Marisa lifts your hand to her lips and gives you a little kiss, followed by a quiet “Nice.” You move to brush some hair out of her face and kiss her, but it seems she has already, somehow, amazingly, fallen back asleep. Lucky. You leave a quick peck on her cheek and settle in for a few more hours in bed, which, if there’s any good left in the universe, will go uninterrupted by certain  _ individuals.  _

 

You awaken sometime in the late morning to a strange, unidentifiable noise, Marisa nowhere to be seen. As you roll out of bed and slowly make your way upstairs to find her, your phone makes a sound, but you are too distracted to even acknowledge it.

As you call for her, your voice fills the small space. “Hey, Marisa? Where’d you go?” 

…

Quiet. You can almost imagine hearing her yelling back as usual, but nothing of the sort happens. 

“Marisa?”

The silence within the house feels deafening. 

Maybe Marisa’s gone out and forgot to say anything? It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened. However, chances are she wouldn’t have brought Mima with, right? It strikes you as odd that you didn’t hear any response from the spirit as you called for Marisa, but you decide to give it a shot anyway.

“Mima? Are you here?” 

The lack of an answer from her is suspicious, to say the least. You run back downstairs, bare feet tapping on the floor, and grab your bag, pulling out your purification rod and several amulets. Time to search the house.

You push open the door to what you think was once meant to be a guest bedroom and peer inside. The room is completely dark, the window covered in blankets. Carefully, quietly, you enter the room, tiptoeing  _ very  _ slowly as to avoid making any unnecessary soun—

**_Bwoop!_ **

You nearly have a heart attack right then and there as the Skype notification sound catches you off guard, startling you. You fumble with your phone as you pull it out of your pocket and quickly unlock it to check the notification. It’s Marisa! That means she’s okay, she’s probably about to tell you she went on an errand and… you have several unread messages from her already, it seems. Well, she’s probably just getting annoyed at you for not answering. You tap the notification to open the app.

**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** reimu are you awake   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** mima and i went out, we were gonna grab something from the store but   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** something’s wrong dude i need your help    
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** reimu??   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** oh my god are you still asleep out of ALL the times for you to sleep in god god god god god   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** shit brb

**Reimu:** Marisa??

**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** ok so basically like   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** WAIT REIMU YOU’RE HERE   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** thank fuck oh my god

**Reimu:** What’s going on? Did something happen?   
**Reimu:** Did Mima do something??

**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** shit no dude she’s trying to help but the thing is like we can’t just stand here and fight these things forever

**Reimu:** Fight? What are you fighting? Marisa, where are you? 

**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** we’re out in the woods and um   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** i think it’s my fault actually you were right   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** i don’t know what we’re going to do just please come here

**Reimu:** What is going on? I’m on my way, but   
**Reimu:** I need to know what I’m up against

**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** it’s like   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** everything rei   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** literally hundreds (thousands???) of evil spirits and shit   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** not ones like miss mima, little ones but there’s a metric fuckton of them and like   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** she’s fighting them but she’s getting overwhelmed and i’m trying to keep up wards to stop them from getting away but i don’t have any supplies with me i’m relying on my own energy and QUITE FRANKLY i’m freaking the hell out i can’t focus    
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** god i’m sorry this is my fault 

**Reimu:** We’ll figure out who’s fault it is later    
**Reimu:** For now just focus on keeping the wards up   
**Reimu:** Where are you exactly?

**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** there’s a clearing like half a mile in    
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** near where the creek gets wider   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** basically just follow the deer trail you’ll find it   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** the 348349867 demons and evil spirits + really flashy magic being performed by another very powerful spirit is also a good thing to look for

**Reimu:** I’ll keep that in mind

You wait a moment to see if Marisa will respond before shoving the phone back in your pocket; while you were messaging her, you’d been getting ready, pulling on the appropriate clothes and gathering your supplies, as well as some of Marisa’s. 

Your hand is on the doorknob when your phone makes that sound again, calling for your attention. 

**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** please hurry

You have a feeling that it’s going to be a very long day.

 

Running as fast as you can through the forest, your mind is filled with thoughts and images of what could possibly be happening. In your distracted state, you nearly trip on a tree branch but manage to catch yourself… only to slip on the wet leaves that cover the forest floor and go sliding down the hill. Ugh.

“Reimu?” A voice calls your name, and you scramble back to your feet and look around to find Marisa standing across the clearing, gasping a strange silver wand in her right hand, knuckles white. Around her are innumerable forms, some more distinct than others, circling around her like vultures, held at bay only by the protective measures she must be casting. She looks over at you with a distracted, almost panicked expression and before you even realize it, you’re running over to her, limping the entire way. 

“Marisa, are you okay? Are you hurt? What’s going on, how did this even start?” You ask your questions rapidly, and she shakes her head, squeezing her eyes shut. Oops, you probably disrupted her focus.

“‘M fine, don’t worry about me. Worry about the rest of this fucking mess instead.”

“How did this start?” You repeat; Marisa just closes her eyes tighter. She’s shaking, you realize; slowly, you reach out and place a hand on her shoulder, half-expecting her push you off. Instead, however, she freezes up, then forces herself to look at you again.

“Go to Miss Mima, She’s over there, on the other side of the hill. “ 

“But—” You begin to argue, but Marisa shakes her head again, looking nearly frantic, and you stop. You don’t like the way she’s doing that, as if she’s trying to shut out the world, and you certainly don’t want to make things worse. Instead, you just pull out your purification rod, thankfully undamaged by your fall, and begin limping uphill. 

What Marisa said about flashy magic wasn’t an exaggeration; through the trees you can see odd colorful light unlike anything you’ve ever seen before bouncing around, disappearing into small, contained bursts when it makes contact with anything else. In the center of the chaos, a figure cloaked in a strange aura hovers; all you can really make out is wild green hair and a pair of large dark wings. 

You decide to just stay back for a minute and observe; not only is the scene before you almost breathtaking in its beautiful surreality, but also, like hell are you just  _ strolling _ into that mess. Nope, no way. If one of those light beams hit you, you’d probably be vaporized or something. 

You notice that Mima is wielding a wand of her own; nearly as long as she is tall, a huge silver crescent moon adorns one end. She swings it adeptly around herself, a chain of projectiles made of that same strange light forming in its path and then sent flying in all directions by a gesture. 

Wait, what’s to say one of those won’t fly right at you? Just in case, you duck behind a large tree, trying to hide yourself the best you can. But, wait… You peek out and realize that the bullets are aimed, each striking one of the countless spirits, causing both to disappear upon collision. 

Watching fixedly and already surrounded by so many overwhelming energies, you don’t notice a much larger being, this time with a distinct humanlike shape, come up until it materializes right in front of you. You immediately raise the purification rod and perform a spiritual strike, but before you can finish, a second being appears seemingly out of nowhere behind the first. Attacking with relish, Mima thrusts her wand  _ through _ the entity, using the sharp points of the crescent as a weapon; the thing bursts into odd smoke before disappearing, and Mima turns her gaze to you with an unreadable expression. 

“So? Are you going to just stand there uselessly, or are you going to help? Show me your spectacular talent Marisa kept bragging about.”

“I’ll help once someone tells me what the hell is going on! Marisa’s too freaked out or something and  _ this  _ isn’t causing anything to make more sense!” 

Rather than answer, because that would be just  _ too easy _ , Mima produces a scroll from midair and shoves it into your grasp.

“Perform this, then we’ll talk.” 

You unroll the scroll to find some sort of ritual described within. Though it’s obviously written in Japanese…

“I can barely read this!” you protest, looking back up at Mima.

“You’re a smart girl, figure it out. Oh, and do it quickly, would you? Though I, of course, truly enjoy a good fight, I don’t think your girlfriend should spend too much longer exposed to these conditions. Don’t you agree?”

She’s right, and you know it, and you know she knows you know it. Frowning, you give the scroll another look, reading and rereading its contents. 

“Um… Okay, I think I know how to do this? It doesn’t seem too difficult, actually, it should be pretty straightforward.”

“Good, now get to it.”

“But wait,” you begin, causing Mima to groan in frustration. 

“What is it now!? Can’t you see that we’re a  _ little  _ short on time here?” As if to emphasize her point, she sends a blast of light up into the air, where it splits apart into smaller beams that shower down around the two of you, driving back the hordes that draw ever nearer.

“Why can’t you do this? You know what it is better than I do, right?”

“Because I  _ can’t,  _ obviously. Use your brain for once, would you? Now go!”

She flies off before you can say anything else, leaving you to stare back down at the scroll. It details some sort of method for temporarily sealing off an area; she must want you to perform this around the forest in order to contain the chaos. 

Well, there’s nothing else for you to do. Ignoring the pain in your ankle from when you fell, you run back in Marisa’s direction to start setting up the barrier. 

 

Once you’ve completed a loop around the forest and are back to where you started, Mima comes to join you and Marisa at the edge before you begin the final section of the ritual, the part that closes the barrier that you just created.

“Though humans shouldn’t be affected by this, I think I’ll be taking Marisa and getting out of here while you finish that up.” Before you can even respond, she has clasped her hands on Marisa’s shoulders and steered her away, giving her a little shove to indicate she’s to keep walking. She stops about ten feet away, turns, and flips the spirit off. You are so proud. 

“Fine! Whatever! I suppose we’ll just stand here and hope that Reimu doesn’t mess up and trap us in or something!

“Yeah, pretty much,” Marisa calls from where she stands, leaning against a tree with her arms crossed over her chest. “Don’t worry, Rei, I believe in you.” She gives you a thumbs up.

You think she may be partially joking, but her words fill you with confidence nonetheless. After giving the scroll one last look, you close your eyes and begin reciting the final section of the ritual, putting as much of your energy as you can into it. In your mind’s eye, you see a strange barrier of light form around the forest as you utter the last few words. When you glance around, nothing seems to be any different, save for the fact that Mima has taken Marisa and  _ floated  _ up about fifteen feet, as well as back about twenty, away from the boundary you’ve created. You walk over to them and gaze upward; Marisa waves from her position, held in Mima’s arms. You make a mental note to scold Mima for this later.

In the clearing, the chaos seems unchanged, but it’s noticeably contained; nothing can escape the sealed off area and you feel a tinge of pride seeing your success like this. You actually did it! In spite of everything, you find yourself grinning.

“Don’t get too excited now, this is far from over. At best, this barrier should last about twenty-four hours. That’s how long we have to figure out how to reverse this mess.” 

“But how did this even happen? I still haven’t been told anything,” you point out, crossing your arms. Marisa looks uncomfortable, and as you watch, much to your surprise (and disgust), she presses herself up against Mima, whose frown doesn’t change as she adjusts to better hold Marisa in this position. 

“Um, what’s going on? Someone had better start explaining  _ now. _ ” It’s a demand, not a request, and Mima hovers down to a level just above you before turning to head back toward the house.

“Fine. Follow me,” she says, and you have no choice but to do just that. “This may turn out to be rather complicated to explain.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reimu, Mima, And Marisa vs. The Distortion World  
> or something
> 
> (It's not really the distortion world, sorry.)


	7. Chapter 7

Back in the house, you collapse on the couch as soon as physically possible, suddenly becoming  _ very  _ aware of the pain in your ankle. You probably sprained it or something. Isn’t that just  _ fantastic _ ? 

Mima sets Marisa down beside you, and you immediately go to her, pulling her into your arms. She doesn’t move. Indeed, she seems… stunned? Afraid? You can’t tell, but you pull her over into your lap regardless, knowing that she’ll probably find the physical contact grounding. Indeed, after a minute she curls up, resting her head partially on your leg and partially on the arm of the couch, and closes her eyes. Her face is hidden, and it seems intentional, so you don’t try to uncover her. Just let her rest.

Across the room, Mima watches with a frown, seeming to be considering something. After several minutes of vaguely uncomfortable silence, she comes over and joins you on the couch, phantasmal tail defying logic. You try not to stare too long trying to figure out how she’s doing that (and what exactly her tail is doing in the first place), but she notices and gives you a weird look. You quickly glance away, returning your attention to Marisa, who hasn’t moved. Perhaps she’s falling asleep or something.

More silence. Time passes at a crawl as Marisa dozes off in your lap and Mima sits there beside you, watching quietly. You’re just starting to doze off yourself when you hear the Skype notification sound from your phone, startling you back into alertness. Who the hell would be messaging you? Marisa’s in your lap and you don’t really have any other friends. 

Wait a second… you look over at Mima, glaring at her. She has Marisa’s phone in her hands, and when she notices your attention, she smiles, then points to the screen.  _ Sigh.  _

**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** Is she asleep?   
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** Also, hello, Reimu.

**Reimu:** Yeah, I think so. She hasn’t really moved for the past ten minutes, so…

**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** Hm. Alright, thank you.

**Reimu:** Why did you want to know?? And for that matter, how did you get her phone?

**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** I took it from her pocket when I was carrying her, of course.    
**several (~) confused magicians (marisa ☆):** Hm. Just a minute.

**Reimu:** ???

 

Marisa’s online status changes from do not disturb to offline, and you continue glaring at Mima as she does something over there. Finally, she nods and points to the screen once again, indicating that she wants you to check your own phone.

\--- **☆ Mima ☆** would like to add you on Skype.---

“Oh my fucking god,” you mutter as you reluctantly accept the contact request. Immediately, she sends you a message.

**☆ Mima ☆:** There we go.

**Reimu:** Oh my fucking god.    
**Reimu:** Was that  _ really  _ necessary??

**☆ Mima ☆:** I thought so.   
**☆ Mima ☆:** Now, to answer your question: I was simply wondering what was going on. Believe it or not, I am not only capable of most basic emotions, but I also am capable of worrying about the wellbeing of others. I just don’t make a habit of it.

**Reimu:** Whatever. Just tell me, what’s going on? What the  _ hell  _ is all of this?

**☆ Mima ☆:** As far as I can tell, it would appear that when Marisa performed her summoning, thus allowing me to travel to this realm, the “portal”, so to speak, that I arrived through was not properly closed. Presumably this is because she panicked upon my arrival and forgot to finish the ritual, thus sealing it off.   
**☆ Mima ☆:** It’s unfortunate, but you can’t really blame her. I don’t think she has much, if any, experience with spirit work. These things just happen sometimes if you’re inexperienced and not careful.

**Reimu:** Except she  _ does _ have experience! Years of it! Hell, when we first properly met, literally that night she basically saved my life when  **I** went into an exorcism unprepared and was immediately overwhelmed. It was my first time doing anything like that and if she hadn’t been there, I don’t know what I would’ve done!   
**Reimu:** This doesn’t make sense to me. I know I was doubting her a lot yesterday like an asshole, but I  _ know _ she knows better.   
**Reimu:** I guess she was just reckless. What else is new.

**☆ Mima ☆:** Are you going to fault her for this, like you did with my arrival here? 

**Reimu:** Yes   
**Reimu:** No    
**Reimu:** I don’t know!! This is too much to take in. I don’t want to say I was  _ right  _ about her yesterday…

**☆ Mima ☆:** But you think that is the case.

**Reimu:** I don’t know what I think. I just. Don’t.

**☆ Mima ☆:** Hmm.   
**☆ Mima ☆:** What do you think will happen if you do say that you blame her, even just in passing? Do you think she would take that very well?

**Reimu:** Of course she wouldn’t. She’d probably just self-destruct.   
**Reimu:** That wasn’t a figure of speech either.    
**Reimu:** Honestly I think there may be something wrong with her, but I don’t know. I have no way to get her to see a doctor or anything.    
**Reimu:** I think she has depression, but… Idk, this just seems like something else. It’s different.

**☆ Mima ☆:** Something “wrong” with her? Rather harsh words.

**Reimu:** I don’t know, it’s just!    
**Reimu:** She’s always kinda been like this, but it’s only gotten worse over the past few months. I don’t know what to do.

**☆ Mima ☆:** You could try, I don’t know,  _ talking  _ to her about it? Ask her what’s wrong, coax her into telling the truth. You two are in a romantic relationship, so start acting like it and actually talk to your damn girlfriend.   
**☆ Mima ☆:** Also, she has depression? I had no idea, that certainly gives me a better idea of how to assist her with her magic.

**Reimu:** I’m not taking relationship advice from an evil spirit. Sorry.

 

Beside you, Mima groans audibly. 

**☆ Mima ☆:** Ask any reasonable human and they’d probably tell you the same thing.  
 **☆ Mima ☆:** And I know, “reasonable human” is a bit of an oxymoron, but you know what I mean.

**Reimu:** I feel like I should be offended somehow???

**☆ Mima ☆:** Whatever. Just. At least  _ consider  _ what I’ve told you.    
**☆ Mima ☆:** After all, if you cause her to have a complete emotional and mental breakdown, it’d make it rather hard for me to help her with magic, which was my end of the deal.

**Reimu:** Deal?????????? What fucking deal???????

**☆ Mima ☆:** It wasn’t so much a “deal” per se, but rather an unspoken agreement. In her summoning, she requested help from any spirit interested and capable of helping her. Her offer was that she’d let them stay in this realm and would do whatever is necessary to assure their continued inhabitation here, including allowing them to bond themselves to her, so to speak, if they wished to. In return, they would assist her in figuring out what is wrong with her that’s keeping her from successfully performing even simple spells, as well as helping her reestablish and rebuild her magical capacity.    
**☆ Mima ☆:** By arriving here, I accepted her agreement, which I will uphold my end of so long as she does the same, which it would seem she does intend to do now that she knows my purpose and intentions here.

**Reimu:** I   
**Reimu:** Holy hell, is there anything  _ else  _ I should know about that she’s done???

**☆ Mima ☆:** Not that I am aware of. 

**Reimu:** I hope that’s the case   
**Reimu:** I really, really do.

**☆ Mima ☆:** Hm...   
**☆ Mima ☆:** Well, I suppose I should ask if you are doing okay. We will need you for the resolution of this situation, after all.

**Reimu:** I’m fine   
**Reimu:** I think I sprained my ankle or something falling down that stupid hill earlier but it’s nothing really.

**☆ Mima ☆:** “Nothing really.”    
**☆ Mima ☆:** As I said, we will need you for the resolution of this situation. 

**Reimu:** Well, sorry?? It’s not like I did it on purpose or anything.

**☆ Mima ☆:** Ugh, here. I’ll do something about this. It’s just a temporary fix, though, so don’t go getting angry at me when it stops working.

She stows Marisa’s phone into an unseen pocket in her dress, floats up from the couch, and holds her right hand out in the air beside her; a second later, the massive wand she was using earlier appears in her grasp. A gesture with the wand produces a small wooden box from midair, which she catches and sets on the coffee table in front of the couch. Her wand is leaned against her shoulder as she kneels (?) on the floor and opens up the box, revealing a strange assortment of various _ things _ in bottles and jars. 

She pulls out the top part of the box’s interior, revealing another compartment beneath, and begins to select a number of jars, all full of what appears to be different herbs. In an empty bottle, she begins to drop in pinches of the ingredients from the jars, pausing every now and then to seemingly consider what to add next, or to check how much she’s put in using the markings on the outside of the bottle. 

You just watch in apprehension as she works; if she poisons you, you’re going to be really pissed off.

After several minutes of work, she picks up her wand and floats off to the kitchen, carrying the bottle of herbs with her. You can’t see what she’s doing from here, but it sounds like she’s using the stove. What is she planning?

When she returns several minutes later, she’s carrying a ceramic cup, which she presents to you. 

“Drink that,” she orders, and you just raise an eyebrow.

“Um, what is it?”

“Technically, a potion. But, specifically it’s more of an herbal tea than anything.”

“Containing…?” You’re not drinking any mysterious potions from Mima.

“Do you want the full list? It’s mostly healing herbs, Reimu. Either drink that, or deal with having a sprained ankle while we try to fight off hundreds of demons.”

“Well, when you put it that way…” you mumble, taking a sip. It’s actually not that bad. Weird, but not unpleasantly so. You don’t feel particularly poisoned, either, so you suppose you’ll drink the rest. 

As you sip at the tea, Mima has returned to her box, replacing the jars she removed and apparently searching for something else. Finally, she produces a roll of gauze.

“There we are, I knew it was in there somewhere,” she says, seemingly to herself.

“Why do you even  _ have _ that?” You can’t think of a single use a spirit could have for a roll of gauze.

“Various reasons. Like this one, in fact. Let me see your ankle.”

Knowing that there’s no point in trying to argue or resist, you reluctantly lift up your leg so she can take a look at it.

“How did you do this, again?” she asks, tapping your ankle.

“I told you, I fell down the hill,” you grumble.

“And  _ how  _ exactly did you manage that?”

You consider just flipping her off rather than answering, but decide that may be a bad idea, at least while she’s doing this. Instead, you just sigh, and thankfully she doesn’t ask again. 

“Well, you certainly did a fantastic job at injuring yourself here. I’ll do what I can to heal you, but there’s only so much that I can do, so expect to be limping like that for the next couple of weeks.” She places a hand on your ankle and you feel some sort of energy, like a tingling sensation, where she touches you. After a minute, apparently satisfied, she then begins to quickly wrap your ankle in the gauze, seeming to somehow trap the energy she had given you with it. Must be some sort of weird property to what she’s using, you suppose. 

When she finishes, she sets your ankle down and “stands” up. “There. So long as you leave that on, it should heal relatively quickly. The tea I gave you contains ingredients both for healing and for temporarily treating the pain, but the effects will wear off in about eight hours, at which point I suppose I will have to make more for you.”

“But aren’t we going to be done with this in eight hours?” 

“With any luck at all, yes. Why?”

“Then why would you make me more if you don’t need me to be able to walk at that point?”

It’s her turn to not answer, instead just tucking the gauze back into the box and closing it. Another gesture with the wand causes both it and the box to disappear once more, and she returns to where she was previously seated on the couch. Weird.

 

No longer distracted, and with the pain in your ankle seeming to fade away, you rest your hand lightly on Marisa’s head, running your fingers gently through her hair. You just wish you knew how to help her, you think. You just wish you knew what’s going on with her. 

As you pet her hair, Marisa slowly stretches, then rolls over onto her back to look up at you.

“Good afternoon,” you say with a smile. She doesn’t need to know about your concerns for her.

“Shit, is it past noon already?” Marisa still sounds tired, you notice. You pick up your phone again and show her the screen so she can check the clock; when she reads it, she groans. “Ugh, sorry. Didn’t mean to pass out on you like that.” 

“It’s okay, it’s been a stressful morning. Getting some sleep was probably for the best.” 

“‘Stressful morning’ is a bit of an understatement I think, but yeah, that’s true.” She closes her eyes again, and you return to running your fingers slowly through her hair, knowing the sensation is comforting for her. She doesn’t seem to be falling back asleep, at least.

“Marisa,” Mima says suddenly. 

She opens her eyes just a crack. “Yeah?”

“Are you feeling any better now that you’ve rested?”

“Oh, uh, I guess. I dunno, don’t feel quite so attracted to the abyss right now, so yeah, sure.”

“That’s good. Do you feel up for discussing the situation, or would you rather wait?”

“Hh, we can now, if you want. I don’t really care,” she says, sounding indifferent.

“Well, if you’re sure about that.” Mima slides closer on the couch, allowing Marisa’s legs to rest in her lap. She still carefully avoids sitting too close to you, and you don’t mind that at all. “So, let’s begin with the obvious: we don’t have the luxury of extra time here. At best, Reimu’s barrier will hold for about 23 more hours, but that’s the maximum duration of the spell under optimal conditions, so I expect it to be closer to 16.”

You feel vaguely offended again, but don’t interrupt.

“If we take the next three hours to plan and prepare, that gives us about 13 hours to resolve this situation. Hopefully this will be more than sufficient for us to gather up all escapees, drive everything back through the portal, and then seal it for good. What do you two think?”

“Um,” Marisa begins. Mima nods, urging her to continue. “Well, 13 hours sounds like a lot of time, but who knows how far anything that got away could have gone, nor where. If we absolutely  _ have  _ to send ‘em back through the same portal they came out of, then it’s gonna be really close, if we can even manage it at all.”

“I am well aware of this. However, you forget that there are three of us. I can chase down anything that has escaped and either trap it and bring it back here, or simply destroy it. If Reimu accompanies me, the task will likely be easier, but only if she has the ability to keep up with me. As I highly doubt that is the case, it would be best if the two of you stay here. Marisa, you know this area best, so I expect you can quickly navigate the forests, correct?”

“Of course, I practically live in the ravine. I basically know the whole forest like the back of my hand, I spend so much time in there hunting for ingredients, or performing spells and rituals, or just looking through the garbage that people’ve been dumping down there for years.”

“Good, then you will need to herd all entities from the edges of the forest into the central area. You saw where there was the highest concentration, correct?”

“Hard to miss it.”

“That’s where you need to go. Reimu, you will stay there in the center and assist on getting everything through the portal, exterminating anything that won’t go back. These petty little demons and evil spirits aren’t worth wasting too much time on individually. Understand?”

You nod. “I think so, yeah. But, um… we can’t actually  _ see  _ the portal. We’re just taking your word for it that it’s there at all.”

“Yeah, I gotta agree with Reimu here. I dunno how we’re gonna aim for something we can’t see,” Marisa adds. 

“Can you not sense it? It’s a large tear in the veil between realms, you really can’t miss it.”

“I was too overwhelmed by everything else, I guess.” You shrug. “I can look again, though.”

“Or, I can just grant you the ability to see it properly. Give me 15 minutes and I should have something ready.” With that, she slides out from under Marisa and heads down the stairs that lead into the basement, and to Marisa’s room.

“Damn, alright. Rei, what do you wanna do while we wait?” Marisa sits up, still basically in your lap, knees arched over your legs from the side, where she’s sort of slid into the space between your thighs and the arm of the couch. 

“Hmm, let me think about that,” you hum, giving her a smile. “I mean, we are  _ finally  _ alone together.” With that, you pull her in close and kiss her, savoring her warmth, the softness of her lips, and the way she wraps her arms around you, pulling herself even closer until there’s nearly no space between the two of you. You are here with her, both occupying the same spot, kissing her and temporarily shutting out the world with all its problems so that it’s just you and her and nothing else.

When you pull away slightly to catch your breath, she rests her forehead against yours for a moment, opening her eyes to look at you with a small, affectionate smile. She looks at you like that a lot, you realize idly; even back when you had only recently met each other, she had occasionally smiled at you with such joy and adoration. Often it was when she thought you weren’t looking, but not always. You don’t believe in such a thing as love at first sight, but if you were to try and name one example of it, you would have to talk about Marisa and her love for you.

As you consider this, Marisa closes her eyes again, waiting just a moment more before kissing you once again, at first a quick peck, followed by a much more passionate kiss. She reaches one hand up the back of your shirt slightly, resting it just above your waist, and as she kisses you, her teeth catch your bottom lip, biting down lightly in a way she knows you like. 

This is just  _ unfair _ , you manage to think, even as you get caught up completely in the moment, fingers tangling in the back of her hair as you try to grab onto her. She tastes faintly of sweet mint and her breath is warm as it tickles your skin when she breaks the kiss for just a second to breathe before pulling you back in, willing you to become completely lost in her touch. She bites your lip again, just a bit harder this time, and you make a soft noise before you can stop yourself. You almost expect Marisa to pull away, given that you’re not truly alone in the house, but she doesn’t… at least, not for another few seconds, at which point you hear a quiet “ _ Ahem. _ ” from across the room.

Marisa leans away from the kiss, looks over at Mima, and gives her a thumbs up. The spirit just shakes her head as she returns to the couch, holding something in her hands.

“You two enjoying yourselves, then, while we are in crisis?”

“Yeah dude, definitely. Good times.” Marisa is giving Mima her trademark slightly crooked grin, the one that means she’s either being mischievous or is just flat-out up to no good.

“Well,” Mima says, the faintest echos of a smile on her face. “I suppose someone’s got to do it” 

“Got to do what?” Marisa raises an eyebrow. 

“Kiss that girl. No one else is going to.” Mima is smirking openly now. You’d be trying to strangle her if not for the fact that she’s already dead, a fact which you find to be truly disappointing. Meanwhile, Marisa has covered her mouth and is trying to hide her snickering unsuccessfully. 

You roll your eyes at Mima. “And how old are you, exactly?”

“Who, me?” She asks. “I’m not entirely sure anymore, but it’s somewhere in the mid hundreds, I believe.” 

“Huh, that’s surprising. Given your behavior, I would’ve guessed you were about 14.”

Marisa laughs harder, bending forward with both hands over her face, and you pat her back. 

“Reimu, your girlfriend sounds like she might be dying. Marisa, please don’t do that, it would be terribly inconvenient for all of us.”

Marisa sits back up, trying to stop laughing with a surprising amount of success, wiping a tear from her face. “Sorry dude, I’ll keep that in mind and put forth my best effort to not die, just for you.”

“Thank you,” Mima says. When Marisa stretches back out across the couch, Mima once again just allows herself to be laid on, resting one hand on Marisa’s leg. Her other hand, previously clutching something hidden out of sight in her fist, is opened to reveal two gray stone pendants, an identical sigil neatly painted in black on each one.

“What’s this?” you ask, taking one and looking at it. The stone is just a simple rounded rock, probably from a riverbed or something, with a loop attached to one end so that it can be hung from a black cord and worn.

“The sigil on these should allow the two you to perceive the portal, either by visually detecting it, or by sensing its specific energies, though I’m not quite sure which will be the case.”

“You _don’t_ _know_?” This is sounding more questionable by the second.

“Look, I did the best I could do in a quarter of an hour. I’d like to see you come up with something better.”

Before you can respond, Marisa grabs the other pendant and pulls it on over her head. “I think it’s pretty damn impressive. I couldn’t even begin to design a sigil in 15 minutes, much less do all this.”

“Thank you, Marisa. It’s good to know that  _ somebody  _ around here appreciates my efforts.”

“No problem, Miss Mima.” Another thumbs up from Marisa.

“Why do you call me that? No, don’t answer, you can tell me after we’re done with this mess.”

“You don’t like it? I can stop.”

“No, I do actually, it has just always struck me as oddly formal, based on what I know of your personality.”

“Eh.” Marisa just shrugs. “Anyway, we should get started. The sooner we settle this, the sooner I can try to get some fucking sleep.” 

You almost point out that she was asleep less than half an hour ago, but decide against it. You can understand why she’s so tired.

“If we haven’t yet been successful or have yet to complete our task, we will rendezvous back here in two hours to assess our progress and make changes to our plan as needed. It would be preferable if I had some way to keep in constant contact with both of you, but as of right now I lack the tools to do so.”

“If you get a phone, I’m not payin’ for it. Just so we’re clear,” Marisa says, causing Mima to roll her eyes. 

“I wasn’t planning on that, no. I doubt that—how old are you, 19?—I doubt that a 19 year old solitary witch with a job in an occult shop makes a great deal of money. And I’ve seen your house. You have duct tape holding the blades on your ceiling fan together.”

“Hey, my house is fine, I just can’t afford to replace shit all that oft—wait, that’s your point. Oops.”

“Exactly. So anyway… hm, wait a second. If the two of you are going to remain here, then I can take one of your phones and simply message you both when needed. It’s not ideal, as I’ll have to hope the two of you are close enough that my messages can be relayed to the other in a timely manner, but it’ll do for now. Marisa, can I take yours?”

She sighs and reaches for her pocket, only to find it’s not there. “Dammit, whatever. I know you have it anyway, just don’t fuckin’ lose it. I can’t replace it.” 

“I will be careful. Reimu, either give Marisa your phone, or ensure that you can pass on any important messages quickly.”

“I’m not giving you my phone. Sorry, Marisa.”

“‘S cool, you’re gonna be in the middle of this mess anyway, you should be the one in immediate contact with Miss Mima in case anything goes wrong.”

“If that’s settled, then I will be off. Good luck.” And with that, she hovers away, exiting through the backdoor. 

Marisa turns to you. “Well, I guess that’s our cue, right?” 

“Yeah,” you agree. “Probably shouldn’t waste any time.” 

Each of you grab your bags, making sure you have all your items. You take out your purification rod, holding it in your left hand, and Marisa, seeing what you’re doing, produces that weird wand from earlier. You’ve never seen her use it before.

“Where’d you get that?”

“Miss Mima,” she answers, not elaborating any further. Well, you suppose she doesn’t really need to. You nod, and take hold of her free hand. She smiles, and together the two of you head outside, facing the forest, which suddenly seems so much more vast and dense than usual.

“You ready?” Marisa asks, glancing over at you.

“As I can be,” you reply. Time to face whatever is waiting for you in the dark woods ahead.

“Then let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter feels a bit like a filler to me, though it does have some important plot exposition, more of That Gay Stuff, and something rather silly I'd been looking forward to writing for a while. 
> 
> Also! I've started writing more stories for this universe; click above on the series name "Magical Girls' Crusades" to view a prequel of sorts, set about a year prior to the events of this story.


	8. Chapter 8

You and Marisa walk to the edge of the clearing with the highest concentration of demons and evil spirits contained within it and stop, gazing in between the trees with a shared expression that lies somewhere between astonishment, anxiety, and determination. 

Marisa glances over at you. “Hey, Reimu? Didn’t Mima say something about us getting stuck in here behind the barrier you made? Whatever happened to that?”

“Oh, I think she was just exaggerating because of the stress or something. It should only apply to actual spirits, not us living humans. I think. I mean, she didn’t bring it up again, so either she forgot, which strikes me as kind of unlikely, or it was never an issue in the first place, which is probably the case…maybe. I don’t know, honestly.”

“Hmm. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Marisa is holding your hand in hers and squeezes it lightly as she begins speaking once again; the feeling is grounding, taking you away from the confusion and fear of the situation. “Hey, are you alright? Like, can you do this? I noticed you were limping pretty bad earlier, what happened with that?”

“Mima happened with that, actually. I sprained my ankle or something and she noticed, so she made me show it to her, then went and made me some weird potion tea stuff to drink and then wrapped my ankle in gauze.”

“Huh. That was really cool of her.” 

“Yeah, well, she said it was only because I’m needed for the resolution of this mess, so take that as you will.” You’d cross your arms defiantly if not for the fact that Marisa is still holding your hand.

She shakes her head, her tone light. “Nah. Well, yeah, I’m sure that’s part of it, I guess, but I think she actually genuinely likes you a little too, even if you’ll never get her to admit it. You know what I’m saying?”

“I kind of doubt that,” you tell her flatly. “I’m reasonably certain that she pretty much completely hates me, and just won’t openly show it because of you? And I’m not totally sure that the feeling isn’t mutual, either.”

Marisa shakes her head again. “Nah. She likes you. Trust me, time will prove me right, as it always does.”

You give a little snort at that, not so much in defiance of her words but rather just out of amusement at the way she said it. “If you say so.”

“I do say so, actually.” She frowns, apparently considering the rest of what you said. “Wait. Do you really hate her?”

“I… I don’t know,” you admit. “I thought I did. I feel like I’m supposed to, but it’s kind of hard to hate someone who makes so many weird jokes, you know? I don’t want to admit it, but I guess she has some sort of charm about her that makes it difficult to actually truly hate her. Or maybe I’m just getting soft? I don’t know. I think maybe another part of it is that she’s nice to you, actually. It sounds dumb, but so long as she treats you well and doesn’t cause you any trouble I guess I don’t have  _ that  _ much of a problem with her in the end.”

“I don’t think you’re getting soft, Rei. You’re right though, she does have that weird charm to her, doesn’t she? I mean, I like it, in any case. She’s pretty cool in my book.”

“Maybe. I can’t say for sure.” You don’t say anything else, and the two of you fall silent, gazing out into the chaos. You’re not sure that you can do this, but… well, you can’t let Marisa down at least, right? You need to do this for her, because this is kind of right behind her house and all, and also because you suspect she’s still beating herself up about all this without telling you.

“Yeah... so anyway, we ready to do this?” Marisa turns to you suddenly, sounding strangely enthusiastic now, and you raise an eyebrow at her tone.

“As ready as we’ll ever be, I guess.” You shrug, unsure as to what else to say.

“That’s the spirit! Now, c’mon, Rei. Let’s give ‘em hell!” And with that, she runs off, leaving you to question if that was not one, but  _ two _ entire puns in the span of just ten words.

 

You head down to the center of the forest, limping slightly. You’re not bothering to try and deal with anything just yet, save for the beings that threaten you, which you smack away with offensive wards and short bursts of energy, swinging the purification rod at them. When the portal comes into view, you stop, sharing at it almost uncomprehendingly. Yes, that’s right, it seems that the pendants Mima made for the two of you are working as intended after all. You’ll begrudgingly admit that you’re impressed... maybe. Later, though. Right now, you have better things to worry about, like staring at the portal fixedly some more.

There’s something strange and disconcerting about it; that is, more so than the fact that it exists in the first place. As you stare into the portal, you almost get the sense that someone is staring back at you, watching your every movement, and to be frank, it’s kind of freaking you out a little. You step closer, almost tempted to reach through it, but you realize, despite your captivated fascination, that logically this would mostly likely be a  _ very  _ bad idea. 

You shake your head and look away; can’t get distracted like that again. After all, you don’t know how long it’ll take Marisa to do her part and round up all the spirits from the rest of the forest (wow, it sure would be nice if you could just text her for a progress update, but oh well! Thanks for that, Mima!), but she’s going to be needing your full attention sooner or later, that you know for certain. 

Well, better get started on dealing with all the evil spirits filling the clearing. You pull out your purification rod and are about to start reciting a neat little incantation Marisa taught you that should work fairly well here when your phone buzzes. Ugh, good timing, Mima. Thanks again for that.

Your phone is unlocked with a gesture, without even looking at it, so when you glance down and see that you have not a Skype message, but rather a text, you’re a little thrown off. Who the hell would be texting you? Nobody even has this number except Marisa, and you doubt Mima would opt for texting you when she could instead have her name attached to all her messages on Skype. 

The number the text came from is hidden, and you frown, opening up the message.

**[Unknown number]:** Hello hello! Whatcha doing out there?

**1-517-555-0176:** You must have the wrong number, sorry.

**[Unknown number]:** Oh, no, I’m quite certain I have the right number ❤️

**1-517-555-0176:** Who is this?? I don’t have time for these kinds of games.

**[Unknown number]:** Yes you do! Anyway, I’ll be seeing you soon ❤️

**1-517-555-0176:** What is that supposed to mean? And why do you keep using heart emojis??

**[Unknown number]:** ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

**1-517-555-0176:** ?????? Who are you?!

**[Unknown number]:** Error: invalid number. Please resend text message using a valid 10-digit number or valid short code: “?????? Who are you?!”

 

“Dammit,” you mumble as you switch over to Skype. You need to get to the bottom of this or else it’s going to be bothering you hours or even days later. Time to send out some accusatory messages.

 

**Reimu:** And just what do you think you’re playing at? 

Much to your surprise, you don’t get an immediate reply, which strikes you as weird. Indeed, she doesn’t respond for nearly five minutes after you sent the message. Maybe she just lost Marisa’s phone or something? Boy, Marisa’s gonna be pissed—oh, wait, there she goes. 

**☆ Mima ☆:** Whatever are you talking about? I’m kind of busy, you know. Make this fast. 

**Reimu:** Texting me anonymously and fucking with me, that’s what!

**☆ Mima ☆:** As exceedingly fun as that sounds, I’m afraid I haven’t been doing that. Again, I’m just a  _ little  _ busy right now. When would I have found the time?

**Reimu:** Then who was it?? Nobody even has my number except Marisa!

**☆ Mima ☆:** Mind sharing the conversation? 

**Reimu:** Whatever, here   
**Reimu:** [File transfer: ba3078172721345f1d5c422ec14b2071.png]

**☆ Mima ☆:** I… see?    
**☆ Mima ☆:** Reimu, I really don’t understand the significance of this, nor why you’re so worked up about it. Someone you don’t know is messing with, you, so what? Why is this so important that you had to interrupt our extremely important work to complain about it?

**Reimu:** Like I said, nobody else has this number but Marisa! It just doesn’t make any sense!

**☆ Mima ☆:** Someone probably got your number out of a random generator or something. Now, please, I need to get back to work. Have  _ you  _ even been doing your job?

Oops. She’s totally onto you, isn’t she?

**Reimu:** Yes, I have! 

**☆ Mima ☆:** Mmhmm, yes, I believe that. Absolutely, one hundred percent.

**Reimu:** Fuck you

**☆ Mima ☆:** Mhmm

**Reimu:** I’m serious! 

**☆ Mima ☆:** Yes, sure, whatever.

...Okay, this is getting you nowhere. She’s not even paying attention anymore, you can just tell. You message again, but when she hasn’t responded after several more minutes, you give up on it. Whatever! You need to actually do something productive now! You raise your purification rod once more and begin chanting the incantation you got from Marisa, walking around the clearing in an attempt to just sort of herd the various spirits back in the direction of the portal. You feel an energetic burst hit your personal wards, followed by another, catching you off-guard and almost causing you to stumble; however, you stop yourself from falling and redouble your efforts, pushing even more of your own energy into the rite. You can’t let yourself be taken down that easily. You refuse. From there on, your progress is slow but steady, and by the time you’ve been at it for half an hour, this rite, this task… it’s all starting to feel second nature to you. 

Overhead, beams of sunlight shine through the leaves of the trees down into the clearing, and you can hear the distant sounds of traffic out on the road. You’ve been in these woods dozens of times with Marisa, and yet it feels as though you’re in entirely new, uncharted territory, as unfamiliar to you as any random forest would be. How is this even happening? You find your mind beginning to wander as you continue your work, focusing only partially on continuing your efforts to round up and direct everything back to the portal, and instead increasingly on your thoughts about this whole situation. 

Could this all have really been caused by an oversight on Marisa’s part? You distantly remember her trying to reassure you that she had indeed set up wards before she performed her summoning—it feels like it was weeks ago when Mima was at the forefront of your concerns, and yet now, less than two days after her initial appearance, you and Marisa are working  _ alongside  _ her to try and solve a much greater problem. This is all so surreal, you can barely wrap your head around it… 

But, no, you can definitely remember Marisa saying something to that effect. With that in mind, could her failing to properly close the ritual have really caused all this? Really? More and more this feels like the work of some greater force than any of you are aware of, someone pulling the strings unseen by the three of you. To what end would someone do such a thing, though? Could someone be secretly performing some sort of suspicious ritual, or trying to spread a suspicious religion, or something else as equally suspicious? Strange, strange things indeed.

...And how is Marisa feeling, really, in all of this? She’s efforting to seem as upbeat and cheerful as ever, unbothered by this mess, but you and her and Mima all know that’s just an act, and you know  _ she _ knows that the two of you are aware. You’ve known her more than long enough to understand her emotions and to recognize how she acts when she’s actually in distress, how to see right through her façade. And Mima, well… you’re certain she’s picked up on it in her own way, whatever that may be. 

Frowning, feeling a sense of frustration caused by your lack of any real knowledge or insight into either the cause of this entire mess or into your own girlfriend’s true feelings, you gesture violently with the purification rod, letting the energy released force a group of assorted beings back through the portal, your growing impatience driving you. 

From somewhere off behind you, you hear a commotion approaching rapidly.

“Yo! Heads up, got a party comin’ your way!” Marisa calls through the trees, and you turn around to see a veritable mob of evil spirits all being directed by her. Well, then; you’re not quite sure what you expected but it probably wasn’t that. Seems as though she’s been a little bit more productive than you have, though. Hm… when you get a chance, you should tell her about those strange texts you got….

“Marisa, oh my god,” you say as you head over to her side, joining her in the task of shoving this bunch toward the portal. “How did you even  _ do  _ this?”

“Well, Reimu, my friend, when you try hard and believe in yourself, and when you’re  _ really  _ pissed off…”

You manage a laugh at that. “Well, I mean, if it works.”

She smiles over at you as she raises her wand to better direct her energy into your shared efforts, and you find yourself jealous of how she’s still managing to find humor in the situation, even though you know that beneath it she’s far more bothered by all this than you are. That’s just part of her charm though, you guess. Even when her optimism is faked, she still can cheer you up with it all the same, and that’s something you’re come to rely on over the past year.

You continue forward, steadily walking toward the portal with your combined energy creating a barrier to force all the evil spirits in the direction you’re facing. When you get close, Marisa moves around you to cover the sides, trying to ensure that nothing can escape, and you see her frown, suddenly looking much more concerned than she was just a minute ago, and in that moment you take notice of why: she’s beginning to lose her grasp on the situation, and you’re not far behind her, finding a deficit in your combined energy to be a new and seemingly insurmountable obstacle. 

“Fuck, I don’t know if we can make it!” she calls, looking at you with an almost frantic expression. “I don’t think just the two of us have enough energy to pull this off all at once! We might have to start smaller and take them on a few at a time, and if we do that we might lose track of a bunch of ‘em!”

“No, we can do this,” you tell her encouragingly, though you aren’t entirely certain that you mean what you say. “Just stay focused. It’ll work!”

“If you’re sure…” It doesn’t sound like she believes you either, but you can feel the energy she pushes forth with all her might, strong and only a little shaky, encouraging you to try and do the same. However, exhaustion is starting to creep into your awareness, your head beginning to ache as it becomes harder and harder to keep expending so much energy like this, and the worst part is, your progress seems to have come to a stop. Marisa is looking almost desperate as you feel, and as you try to push forth one last effort to do this, you find yourself unable to muster up the energy at all. You wince, preparing yourself mentally for the immense failure that you’re about to experience, closing your eyes and…

Wait. You  _ were  _ about to lower the purification rod and give up your efforts, but suddenly the massive, crushing strain has been lifted off you, and you feel a rush of familiar but currently unidentified energy fill the area. Opening your eyes, you look around wildly before spotting Mima flying ten feet above you, holding out her wand, an intense, concentrated expression on her face. Well, that is, until she notices you looking up at her, at which point she smiles and waves down at you with her free hand. Beside you, Marisa waves back at her.

“I thought you two could use a little help,” Mima calls. “I finished a bit early, and it seems as though it was a good thing I did. I didn’t expect things to be quite so hectic over here, so I must offer my apologies for leaving the two of you up to this. However, it looks like you’ve done well in spite of that, so well done.” 

“Uh, thanks?” You respond, looking away from her to focus on crossing the last fifteen feet between you and the portal. Marisa echoes you, though she sounds more enthusiastic and less confused than you did.

No longer feeling the strain from before, you find it it infinitely easier to continue directing things from your side, and it takes only another minute or two for you to finally get to the portal. Mima takes control from there, sending a wave of unwavering, forceful energy through the air with a flourish of her wand, and when she’s satisfied that you’ve  _ finally  _ gotten everything in through the portal, she flies down to float beside you and Marisa, still smiling.

“Well, that should settle that then, don’t you think?”

“Uh, I dunno. Does it?” Marisa sounds about as tired as you feel, and Mima places a hand on her shoulder; in turn, she leans over to rest her head against the spirit, who doesn’t seem to mind too particularly much, if the way she just blinks, momentarily surprised, before continuing to smile serenely is any indication. Hm.

“Well, Reimu? What do you think?” Mima asks you.

“Um,” you mumble, looking around as though checking to make sure. “I hope so?”

“Hm. Well, this should take care of the bulk of the invasion. Any beings that we missed can be dealt with individually, and I can take care of that on my own if such a need does arise. Now, Reimu, I need you to do something very important.”

Oh boy. “What?”

“You need to close the portal. No, don’t even start with how you don’t know what to do, because I’m going to tell you how to, obviously.”

“Why can’t you do it?” You ask her, letting your exasperation show through in your voice. You just want to go back to Marisa’s house and fall sleep on the first suitable flat surface that you can find.

“Because I want you to do it, obviously. Because I believe that out of the three of us, you are most suitable for the task. The skill required for it is best matched by your capabilities, in my opinion. If you truly cannot do it, Marisa and I could try, but it’d  _ really _ be ideal if you could.” She’s practically pouting at you with this last sentence, and you roll your eyes, sighing.

“Ugh, fine. What do I do?”

“Oh good, so you’ll do it. Hm… if I simply handed you another scroll and told you to go for it, would that be unacceptable?”

“Yes, it would! Just  _ tell  _ me what to fucking do! Don’t play games with me and don’t waste any more of my time,” you snap, patience running thin. 

“Wow, alright, sheesh. Here, I do have a scroll you should look at, but I’ll guide you through the process.” She produces a small, tattered looking scroll from out of thin air and hands it over to you. As you unroll it, you squint, trying to make out the words; some of the text is so faded you can barely read it at all, but you try your best. 

“Um… so you want me to... “ You hold the scroll up to try and catch the light so you can get a better look. “Okay, I think I might understand?”

“Do you? That’s a relief,” Mima says, and you squint at her.

“That doesn’t mean that I don’t want an explanation. You’re not getting out of it that easily.”

“Getting out of it? Me? Absurd. I wasn’t trying to escape having to explain this to you at  _ all _ .” Your squint becomes a glare, and she laughs briefly before continuing. “Well, essentially it all comes down to visualization. Focus your energy and visualize yourself surrounding the portal with it, applying pressure from all sides to force space to close in on it until it is no longer visible. Then, seal the space, visualizing it completely concealed and protected. There’s only so much we can do to keep it from being reopened, of course, since it could reopen essentially anywhere else, but usually with these things it doesn’t happen. Whoever’s responsible by that point generally decides it’s not worth the effort, or if it was truly a random occurrence then it’s unlikely to recur simply because these kinds of events are so rare.”

“Okay, sorry to interrupt, but I gotta ask. Why  _ can’t  _ you or I do this, why’s it gotta be Reimu? Like, not complaining, I’m just seriously curious.” Marisa interjects, looking between the two of you. “Anyone got an answer?”

“It’s her unique energy, really. It just seems to me that she is predisposed to being innately skilled at the creation and manipulation of seals and barriers. If you and I worked together we could perhaps pull it off, but with Reimu, I believe it’s a near certainty that she’ll succeed.” 

You blink. Okay then? So that’s what you’re good at, at least in Mima’s eyes… well, maybe that does explain your natural skill at the sort of work you do normally. Or maybe it’s just a load of crap, who knows.

“So, are you ready to get started, Reimu?” Mima has turned back to you, looking at you expectantly. “It’s not exactly urgent, but it certainly would be nice to not have to deal with this any longer, don’t you agree?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going to do it. Just give me like, a minute or two to get ready here, okay? Because surprise, I’m getting really tired from all this, since my energy is not in fact unlimited like you seem to think it is.” You’re feeling annoyed still, which you could probably chalk up to being the result of the aforementioned tiredness, but you’ll probably just blame it on Mima being actively annoying. She gives you a look, but doesn’t say anything as you take a breath, trying to gather up your energy once again, mentally preparing yourself. This is going to be difficult just because of how tired you are, but if you don’t pull this off, it’ll be honestly just really embarrassing. You feel a need to prove yourself here, so like hell will you mess this up. 

“Alright,” you say finally.“I think I’m ready.”

Marisa and Mima move back while you take a step forward toward the portal, looking into it once again. Time to finish this once and for all. 

You close your eyes and begin to focus on visualizing the portal and your own energy, which fills the area in your mind’s eye. It takes a little more strain than usual to manipulate your energy the way you want to, but you manage, moving your energy to focus in on the portal and pressing against it. Your eyebrows furrow as you concentrate, and you begin to feel somewhat shaky, but you don’t falter for even a second, and slowly you begin to force the portal shut, watching it become just a little bit smaller by the second. 

Without really thinking about it, you step closer, hoping that decreasing the distance between you and the portal will help you in some way, and it really does seem to be working…! At this rate, you’ll be done in just a couple more minutes. This will  _ finally  _ all be over. 

…!? 

You feel something pressing back against your energy, suddenly overwhelming you, and you open your eyes just in time to watch someone  _ reach through  _ the portal, arms grabbing you and tugging you in before you or anyone else can react. You yell in surprise, but the sound is muffled, useless, and soon the light of your world has disappeared from view entirely as you’re pulled into the darkness of the realm on the other side.

Well. This certainly is going to put a damper on things, isn’t it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://i.gyazo.com/ba3078172721345f1d5c422ec14b2071.png
> 
> (Disclaimer: This is not the actual screenshot Reimu sent to Mima. Probably.)


	9. Chapter 9

You fall to the… ground? Floor? Whatever it is, you fall to it with a dull thud and a soft grunt of pain. You’re not entirely sure  _ what  _ this place is, actually; it seems incomprehensible. You blink several times, mind rejecting the world you see, but it doesn’t change or disappear. This is real, and it’s really happening to you. 

The darkness is nearly complete and overwhelming, but in the distance you see the strange glow of something unidentifiable. You seem to be sitting on something, and you touch the ground hesitantly, finding it to be smooth and cool to the touch. Beside you, something moves, and a second later the area has been illuminated by an unknown source, revealing… a blue floor, a strange, massive room, and a woman standing nearby, grinning at you.  _ Great. _

The woman offers you her hand to help you up, and you vehemently refuse to take it, instead scrambling to your feet on your own. She just shrugs, still smiling, and shoves her hand in her pocket instead. 

You look her over, and her expression doesn’t change as she stares right back at you. She’s taller than you (though that isn’t saying much), with shoulder length, messy green hair and bright red eyes. Her clothes are red gingham, pants and a vest over a white blouse, a yellow ascot askew at her collar. She holds a pink umbrella (parasol?) casually over one shoulder, and though she looks young and carefree, you can sense an enormous power from her. This just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?.

“Hello,” she greets you cheerfully. “Fancy meeting you here!”

You glare back at her, not willing to go along with whatever game she’s playing at. “Where am I?”

She shrugs again, clearly knowing the answer but not willing to share. “Neither here nor there. You have a name?”

“Not one I plan on telling you.” 

“Fantastic! I’m Yuuka Kazami, master of all that you see around you. It’s  _ so _ nice to meet you!” 

You squint at her, confused. “What  _ are  _ you?”

“Wow, rude, you don’t just ask someone what they are, didn’t anyone teach you any manners? Well, I guess you  _ are  _ from the human world, maybe you don’t have manners over there or something… Alright, I’ll let it slide this time, but only because you’re a foreigner. For your information, I am what you could call a youkai, though that’s about as specific as I am going to get.”

A youkai? It takes you a moment to wrap your head around this; evil spirits of any variety, sure, whatever, that’s not that uncommon in your life (though, ones like Mima certainly are…) but you’ve never encountered a youkai before. How could you? You’re on the wrong side of the planet, aren’t you?

Well, you suppose that geography doesn’t really matter all that much when you’re in some weird, different dream realm, anyway. In fact, such a concern probably doesn’t make any sense at all here, if you think about it. 

“So you’re a youkai? Interesting.” You try to sound as disinterested as possible, but probably fail. It actually  _ is _ genuinely intriguing. “What the hell do you even want with me? Why am I here?” You glare at her, hoping to be at least a little intimidating despite your diminutive size. It doesn’t seem to work very well.

“Huh? What do I want with you? Well, nothing, really. You were just there.” Yuuka’s carefree tone is starting to  _ really  _ piss you off. 

“Then what the hell am I doing here? Why did you bring me here in the first place!? Tell me!”

“Jeez, calm down, would you?. I was just bored, and you were there, and it seemed interesting, and… yeah! That’s pretty much the extent of it. And hey, it’s not like I didn’t give you any warning, after all.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Hm, wasn’t that you? I know I was pestering  _ someone  _ a bit ago, and watching through the portal I saw you getting pretty irate at something.”

You look at her blankly, and it takes a moment for what she’s saying to click in your mind. 

“What… oh! You were the one texting me and being an asshole?” This youkai just keeps getting more and more obnoxious, and you wonder vaguely if all youkai are like this. Then again, Mima, arguably not a youkai, is approximately just as annoying, though perhaps less directly harmful, so maybe it’s a general nonhuman thing. Or a green hair thing. 

“I wasn’t being an asshole, was I?” Yuuka pouts. “But yes! That was me~”

You pull out your phone and reread the texts from earlier before looking back up at her, incredulous. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Yes! Were you surprised? You know, I was also the one who opened the portal in the first place.”

She opened the portal? This was all the doing of a youkai in another realm after all? So this really wasn’t Marisa’s fault, then! That bit of information doesn’t help very you much in your current position, though. 

“Pissed off is more like it. Now listen,” You move to reach for your bag in order to retrieve your purification rod, and… where is your bag. Where the fuck is your bag??

“Looking for this?” Calls a sing-song voice, and lo and behold, Yuuka is holding your bag, grinning. If you thought you could pull it off and not get vaporized or something equally unpleasant, you would just physically attack the youkai right now. But… there’s way too much power coming off of her for you to even begin considering that as a genuine possibility. Ugh. Instead, you opt to just try and snatch it out of her grasp, but she’s too tall for you, swinging it above her head teasingly. Scowling, you jump as high as you can, grabbing for your bag and managing to catch hold of the strap. Yuuka looks almost surprised, but continues to grin cheerfully as she jumps up into the air and  _ stays there _ , floating some thirty feet above the floor.

Unable to maintain your grip, you fall back down from only a few feet up, and the laughter that comes from Yuuka as a result entices within you what is quite possibly the most rage you have ever experienced in one single moment up until now.

Without thinking about it, you gather all your energy, driven by the sheer force of how fucking pissed you are, and try to fling it at the youkai, even though logically the  _ last _ thing you should be doing is trying to attack a powerful, mysterious foe on your own. Indeed, the instant you attack, you realize just how badly you've probably fucked up, and you brace yourself. You expect her to laugh at your pathetic attempt, expect her to retaliate. What you didn’t expect in that brief moment of panic between the launch of your attack and when it hits, however, was to see the energy you threw manifest visibly, slamming into the youkai and stunning her briefly, clearly catching her off-guard.

Her eyes widen, and she looks at you with astonishment for about two seconds, the laughter that had been on her face just a bit ago having vanished, before she grins again, dropping your bag onto your head and clapping, umbrella dangling from her wrist by the hooked end.

"Oh, bravo, that was fantastic! I've never seen anything quite like that before! Completely unarmed, too! You  _ are _ from the outside over there, right? That is where I grabbed you from?"

"Um... yes?" You have no idea where this is going, but you're not dead yet, so you're going to just go along with this, hoping to maintain that status for as long as you can.

"Haha! I knew I made a good decision in picking you to play with! Didn't expect you to be able to actually put up a fight like that! Think you could do it again?"

She's completely nuts. Of course, you kind of already figured that, but this just proves it. Here is this strange youkai woman holding you completely at her mercy within an unfamiliar realm, seemingly empty save for the two of you, asking you to try and attack her with unbridled enthusiasm.

“Why?” 

Yuuka suddenly falls down to the floor beside you, as if whatever force that had been suspending her in the air was suddenly cut off, and lands neatly on her feet as if she’d only fallen a foot or two, not thirty. You realize distantly that she hadn’t actually fallen per se, but rather had just landed from her brief flight. You are already getting tired of people who can fly, you really are.

“Because then we could have a real battle. Doesn't that sound fun?” 

You feel threatened in spite of her casual, lighthearted tone. Well, more threatened than you already were feeling, that is. 

“Not really? Sorry, but...”

“Awww, why not? I promise I’ll go easy on you. It’d be your first time, right? It would be unbecoming if I went all out against a beginner. It’s not very fun if your opponent dies in the first five seconds of a duel, you know. Don’t you agree?”

“Yeah, uh…” You scramble to try and think of what to say. “Maybe later? I’m kind of hoping that my friends will show up soon to pick me up, see.” 

“Oh! You’re right, it’d be a lot more fun that way! Who are your friends? More humans, I’m assuming?”

“Sort of?” You are beginning to get the impression that you just seriously fucked up in telling her that you’re expecting rescue.

“Sort of? What’s that supposed to mean? How are your friends ‘sort of’ human?”

“One of them is,” you tell her, hoping she won’t press you for more details. You’d lie, but… something about the way she looks at you makes you think that she’d see right through any attempt to deceive her, and the thought alone is making you nervous.

“And the other ones? Come on, what kinda nonhuman friends could a girl like you have? Tell me!”

“Um,” you hesitate, trying to come up with a way out of answering, with no success. “The other is sort of like, uh. A vengeful spirit? Yeah.”

The teasing tone is almost gone from Yuuka’s voice when she speaks next, indicating that she isn’t just asking questions just to pester you anymore, but out of real, genuine curiosity. She sounded curious before, yes, but only about as curious as someone would be in the irrelevant shenanigans of a small child. 

“Really? You’re friends with a vengeful spirit? And you’re expecting this friend to show up with another human to rescue you? Wait a second…” Yuuka seems suddenly thoughtful. “I couldn’t tell through the distortions, I could only make out the shapes of you guys, but there were two other people with you when you were trying to clean up after me and seal up my portal, right? Was that them?”

“Yeah, that was them.” You hate that you’re still answering her! You hate that you don’t have a choice, that you can’t find any way out of this situation on your own! The only hope you had was that Marisa and Mima would show up and manage to get you out of here, and now that you’ve told Yuuka about them, you’ve lost whatever advantage the element of surprise would have given you. The only consolation you have left, the only thing still giving you any hope, is the fact that Mima will be there. It’s almost funny when you look at it, the fact that you’re now relying so completely on Mima; the irony certainly isn’t lost on you, that’s for certain.

Yuuka hums, seeming to think this over. “Well, I’ve got to say that I look forward to meeting your friends, then. If they’re as interesting as you’ve been so far then I doubt I’ll be disappointed!” 

“Ugh,” you grumble, taking a seat on the floor and putting your head in your hands. You keep expecting this to be some kind of weird, fucked up dream, a surreal and vivid nightmare, but it’s  _ not.  _ This place, this entire situation, it’s all real, and you’re the one unfortunate enough to have to live it now.

The best thing for you to do at this point would just be to stay quiet and try to not start catastrophizing in your head, imagining all the things that could go wrong now, but you find your mind wandering in that direction in spite of yourself, pushed forward by all the stress you’re under.

Because, the truth is, you have no idea if anyone’s coming for you really. You don’t know if Marisa and Mima will be able to make it into this place at all, much less find you in here. What if it’s impossible? What if you never see either of them again? 

For the first time since this mess all started… no, for the first time in a very long time, you feel like giving up, and the thought of never being able to see Marisa again causes tears to well up and sting at your eyes in spite of yourself. 

In a way, if you think about it, this is all your fault. Well, maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, but you can’t help but think it regardless. You never meant to, but you really  _ were  _ undermining Marisa so much before, weren’t you? It was always little things: telling her you didn’t want her to come help you with exorcisms anymore, saying it was too dangerous; responding to her excited attempts to tell you about new, advanced magic she was learning about with only trite warnings and lectures. Expressing numerous doubts and then, on the occasions that she really did fail, offering only “I told you so” in lieu of any real helpful advice. 

Your shoulders shake as you try not to sob. After all that she’s done for you, all that she still does, you’ve only ever managed to made things worse for her, repaying her kindness by making her feel awful about herself. You remember the way she used to be so confident and excited to share her magic with you; the one thing, she told you once, that she always could fall back on. The one way she could retain control over her world when everything else was slipping away. Maybe, with you gone now, she can at least recover her skill and passion for magic with Mima at her side.

She deserves better, and you? You probably just deserve this.

 

A sudden sound jolts you from your impending breakdown, and you look up, wiping tears from your eyes so that you can see what’s going on. 

“Hey,” Yuuka says, tapping you on the arm with her umbrella. “Sorry to interrupt your… whatever this is, but I think your friends are here. Someone just got in here and let me tell you, the distortions created by their arrival are impressive! I mean, to breach my defenses around this place at all… you have some really powerful friends, don’t you?”

You feel a vague sense of pride in response to Yuuka’s praise of Marisa and Mima, but more importantly, you feel a sliver of hope return, making your chest feel lighter and giving you back just a little bit of energy. Looking around, you don’t see anyone yet, but...

Behind you, someone grabs hold of you, wrapping their arms around your shoulders tightly, making you jump.

“Reimu!” Marisa exclaims, practically throwing herself on you. “Oh my god, you’re here, thank fuck. Are you okay??” She slides over to the floor beside you, dragging you into her lap so she can hold onto you as tightly as possible. 

She’s smiling, but her eyes are red and swollen looking, betraying her evidently quite recent tears. Well, it’s not like you’ve been faring any better though, and you rub your eyes, efforting to not start crying again. Marisa notices, and her smile is gone in an instant, replaced by a desperate worry that pains your heart to see. “Reimu, what’s wrong? Are you hurt or something?” 

You shake your head, not quite sure what to say, and Marisa squeezes you, trying to comfort you without having any real idea what to do. She succeeds, too, and you manage a watery smile at her. 

“I’m fine, I’m okay. I just—I was scared I wouldn’t see you again,” you admit. “It was stupid, really.”

“No, no no no, that’s not stupid. Fuck, I’d be terrified if I were in your place, it’d probably be really gross. Like, full on panic attack, ya know? Nasty emotional stuff like that.”

You giggle. “Somehow I’m having trouble imagining you freaking out like that, actually. I bet you would’ve been fighting the entire time or something, not sitting on the floor crying!”

“Haha, you think so? Nah, dude, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, I am capable of hysterics the likes of which are universally unrivaled!”

“Is that something to be proud of?” Mima asks, reminding you that, whoops, there’s kind of a situation going on here. 

The spirit has positioned herself in front of you and Marisa, holding her wand at the ready and looking prepared to fight at a moment’s notice. You realize that she’s protecting the two of you while Marisa makes sure you’re okay, even giving you time to talk and calm down, rather than demanding that you hurry up like you would have expected. You feel a rush of gratitude toward her, and make a mental note to bring it up later.

Across from her, Yuuka is hovering several feet up, umbrella now open for whatever reason and resting against her shoulder once again. 

“So these are those friends you mentioned, right?” She asks casually. “Alright, you’ve got me, I’m seriously impressed. When you said you had a vengeful spirit with you, I definitely wasn’t expecting  _ her. _ ”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” asks Mima before you can even get a chance to.

“You don’t remember me? We’ve met before, after all. My name is Yuuka. Yuuka Kazami. I sort of control this whole entire area.”

“Do you seriously think I care enough to remember every single random youkai I’ve ever encountered?”

Beside you, Marisa snickers quietly, and it takes some effort for you to not join in. 

“I’ll have to make more of an impression this time, won’t I?. Which brings me to something very important! You three were the ones cleaning up after me, right? You know, rounding up all the stuff I let through into your realm?”

“That is correct,” says Mima, sounding cautious.

“Wait a sec, that was _you_?” Marisa interrupts, but she doesn’t get an answer. You should explain this all to her as soon as you can; she’d probably feel better knowing that everything was actually the fault of some youkai, and not her messing up during a ritual, wouldn’t she? Hell, the fact that it was Yuuka behind it all along and not a mistake on Marisa’s part is reassuring to _you_ , even

“Well!” Yuuka continues, as if Marisa hadn’t said anything. “I’m sure you’ve missed a bunch, so wouldn’t it be easier if I cleaned it up for you?”

“Are you seriously offering?” Mima raises an eyebrow, her voice full of disbelief. “Really?”

“Sure, why not? On one condition, though.”

“Oh boy, here we go,” mutters Marisa, and Mima makes a low noise of exasperation in response to the youkai’s words.

“You all have to defeat me! It shouldn’t be too difficult, right, with three on one? Defeat me, and I’ll clean it all up, no questions asked.”

Mima sounds like she doesn’t believe it for even a second, and you have to agree with her there. “Mmhmm, and what, exactly, do you have to gain from this?” 

“Eh, I was just bored this whole time, so a quick duel with some new faces is perfect. It gets really lonely out here sometimes, you know? There’s not a lot of actual people around. I wasn’t expecting to meet anyone new in all this, so I have to say I’m honestly really happy with the results!”

“You know, if all you wanted was to make some new friends, there were probably better ways to go about it that  _ didn’t  _ involve unleashing a horde of random evil spirits and shit on another realm? Like, did that occur to you?” Marisa asks, and the youkai seems to genuinely consider it for a minute.

“Listen,” she says finally. “I didn’t come here to get called out like this.” 

“Actually, we were the ones who came here,” Mima corrects. “And, if you think about it, didn’t we come here with the implicit intention of stopping you? So,  _ technically… _ ”

“Nope! I don’t want to hear it!” Yuuka shakes her head quickly. “ _ Anyway _ ! What do you say, are you in?” 

A look is shared between the three of you. Really, it’s unlikely that you have any choice in the matter at all; you could try to say no, but Yuuka can and most likely will attack you regardless or your answer. It seems as though this is what’s at the forefront of all of your minds, too, judging by the grim expression shared between you all.

Mima leans down to your level so she can address you and Marisa more directly. 

“I don’t see any real way out of it,” she begins, sounding uncharacteristically solemn. “The best solution I can think of is to send the two of you away to safety and then for me to fight her one on one. Defeating her shouldn’t be too much of a problem; she’s obviously quite powerful to have pulled this off at all, but I am more than confident in my own strength.”

“And what if you do lose though, huh? What happens then?” Marisa asks the very same question that you were thinking.

The spirit shrugs. “Then I suppose I’ll be out of your hair sooner than previously expected, won’t I?”

“Nope. Unacceptable.” Marisa crosses her arms, shaking her head. “New plan: we don’t do that.”

“Then what do you propose we do, hm?”

“Well, we could like… all actually stay and deal with her? Crazy, I know, but hear me out. I mean, if she was the person responsible for sending all those evil spirits to our realm, then shouldn’t we at least all have a part in the resolution of this little incident?”

“And put the two of you in unnecessary danger? Do you really think I’m  _ that  _ irresponsible? Absolutely not.”

Marisa starts to say something snarky back, and you look between the two of them, considering things before quietly clearing your throat to get their attention. Mima and Marisa to turn and look at you, successfully interrupting their argument.

“Why can’t we all stay and fight? Like she said before, it’s three against one. We’ve made it this far, right? Like Marisa said, we might as well go all the way with this, together. Besides, I mean, I sort of accidentally attacked her already?”

Marisa laughs at that, but Mima remains serious. “You what.” 

“I don’t know! She was just  _ really _ pissing me off, so without thinking I attacked her with energy and it kind of… manifested visually, actually. It was really weird.”

“Hm…” Mima sounds thoughtful. “It’s true that the ambient magical energy here is so great that the two of you should, with any luck at all, be able to draw on it enough to hold your own in a battle, but... “

“So why we don’t we give it a shot? I mean,” Marisa smirks, knowing full well how ridiculous what she about to say is. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Mima sighs, exasperated. “The worst that can happen… you know what? Fine. If the two of you want to throw yourselves blindly into grave danger then who am I to stop you? Just don’t expect me to be going out of my way to protect you two, risking myself in the middle of battle.” 

You get the feeling she doesn’t mean that; indeed, every single one of you there knows that she doesn’t actually mean it. 

“So, you come to a decision yet?” asks Yuuka, who has been watching you three intently for the past few minutes. 

Mima sighs again. “Yes, very well. We’ll battle you. But, don’t even _ think _ about trying to back out of the agreement if we win. You  _ will  _ fix all this and clean up your mess, lest you come to seriously regret it.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Are you guys ready yet?”

“Jeez, give us a minute here,” grumbles Marisa.

“Okay, but hurry up! I’m getting impatient!” Yuuka calls.

Mima addresses you and Marisa once again, her voice a low whisper, barely audible even from right beside her. “Here’s what we’re going to do: I will take the majority of the responsibility in this battle, working primarily on attacking and in doing so ensuring that Yuuka remains focused on me. I will need the two of you to back me up. Watch for openings that I may miss and attack only when you’re certain that it’s safe for you to do so. Ideally, you’ll attack immediately before I do so that she’s distracted by me and doesn’t try to retaliate against either of you directly. Do  _ not  _ try to make any effort to defend me, because that’ll only open the two of you up to being attacked yourselves. I can handle myself. Understand?”

“But what if—”

“ _ No _ , Marisa. Whatever it is, the answer is no. You need to do  _ exactly  _ as I say here. I don’t think you truly understand the gravity of this situation, but trust me, it is far more serious than you can possibly imagine.”

“I understand just fine,” Marisa protests. “And that’s why I want  _ you  _ to listen to  _ me.  _ You can’t expect us to just leave you if you’re in danger. We’re in this together.”

“Yes, I  _ can _ expect that, actually, because that is what you will do. Don’t try to argue this with me, Marisa, because you aren’t going to get anywhere. It’s a pointless effort and you’re best off saving your energy for something actually important, like doing as I’ve asked you to do in our imminent battle.” 

“You really think Marisa will go along with that?” You ask skeptically. “She doesn’t even listen to me most of the time. Like, really, I commend you for your effort, trying to argue with Marisa is pretty tough, but it’s not going to get you anywhere.”

“Well, I thought I could at least try,” Mima admits. “Silly me, right?”

“Yeah, really.” Marisa agrees. “But seriously, if things start to go south for you we’re not gonna take it lying down, and  _ no,  _ we aren’t gonna run away either, so don’t even try to suggest it. Like I said, we’re in this together now.”

Mima sighs, seemingly defeated. “You really are set on this, aren't you? Very well then. Just… try to be careful, both of you. It’d be… awkward, I suppose, if something were to happen to either of you on my watch.”

“Aww, you care about us,” Marisa teases, and Mima rolls her eyes. 

“Whatever. Now, I’m assuming the two of you at least understand now you should go about attacking?”

“Yeah, of course,” Marisa says casually. “Draw energy from the fucking ridiculous amount around us and fling it at her, right?”

“Well… yes, essentially, that is the idea. But also, try not to get hit.”

“Wow, thanks for the groundbreaking advice! ‘Don’t get hit’, how ingenious. I never coulda thought up that one on my own, really.” Sarcasm drips from Marisa’s tone, but she doesn’t seem to mean it with any real maliciousness. 

“If it’s so obvious then I expect you to be able to follow this simple instruction precisely. That shouldn’t be too difficult for you, right?”

“I—”

“Come on,” you interrupt, before they can continue their petty argument any further. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Right,” Mima agrees, turning back toward Yuuka as you and Marisa stand up and take your own places beside her. “I suppose we’re as prepared as we ever will be, then.”

“Fantastic!” Yuuka exclaims, holding out her umbrella with a flourish and a grin. “Ready or not, here I come!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Introducing the New Friend: Yuuka! ...Yeah, I imagine you all saw this coming. Gotta complete that Mystic Square squad tho.
> 
> Also, Mima's getting really bad at pretending she doesn't care, as if she doesn't care that they know she cares, or something. Friendship is truly amazing, etc, etc. In any case, she has more love in her little black heart than you could ever get her to admit.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not Touhou without danmaku, not even in a weird modern/outside world AU.

Yuuka attacks quickly and without mercy, not even bothering to move back before pointing her umbrella and shooting some kind of energy at you; Mima’s faster, though, grabbing both you and Marisa at once and darting out of the way, flying up into the air to dodge effortlessly. When she sets you back down, you’re a little sore from how tightly she’d been holding onto you, but you don’t bother saying anything. You can give her crap about it later, when you’re not fighting some weird youkai in a mysterious dream dimension using only weird magic. 

Almost immediately, Mima swings her wand in Yuuka’s direction, a line of glowing white bullets forming in midair and then sent flying at her. In retaliation, Yuuka spins her umbrella out in front of her to form her own attack, bullets identical to the ones Mima used spiraling toward the three of you. Marisa’s reaction is almost instantaneous as she grabs you by the collar of your shirt and drags you down to the floor, a few of the bullets just barely grazing her as she does. Then, she leaps back to her feet and produces her own wand, raising it high above her head to create what looks almost like a magical storm above Yuuka, purple colored bullets raining down on her.  _ Shit _ , how did she do that?

You look down at your bag, briefly considering the situation before pulling out your purification rod. So, those three were gesturing to shape the patterns their attacks manifested in, right? But there must be some other factor beyond that; their control seems too precise for that to be all that goes into it. Are they doing it through visualization? That seems most logical, given that the majority of energy work you do normally, outside of this weird realm, is performed using visualization. Might as well try it out, right? 

Holding out the purification rod, you swing it in a wide arc while imagining a line of bullets forming. Sure enough, the intended line of bullets forms, all larger than the others’ and white, and you point with the rod, feeling a bit silly. The bullets are all sent flying at Yuuka, just as intended, but she dodges with little effort. No, that’s no good, can’t you just…? You focus harder, trying with all your might to force your visualization into becoming reality.

Suddenly, the bullets you fired curve back around to strike Yuuka directly, and she seems surprised, to say the least. Meanwhile, Mima and Marisa are both looking over in your direction, at least a little astonished, and you feel a sense of pride.

“Did you do that, Reimu?” asks Mima, and you nod. The spirit grins. “Well, think you can do it again? I can’t imagine that homing attacks wouldn’t be useful here.”

“I can try,” you reply, repeating the gesture and visualization. This time, the line of bullets alternates between red and white, and you find it easier now to make them home in on Yuuka; she dodges the first line again, and most of the second, but several bullets still manage to hit her as she fails to completely predict the arc they were traveling in. You’re definitely getting the hang of this..!

“Great, keep that up!” Mima encourages you, giving you a thumbs up before turning her attention back on attacking. Marisa runs back over to your side, grinning crookedly.

“Dude, that was so awesome! But, watch  _ this. _ ” Marisa waves her wand in a circle above her head, spawning a large spiral of bullets, still purple in color, but from this distance and angle you can see that they’re all shaped like five-pointed stars now. 

“Okay, that is pretty cool,” you admit, smiling back at her. Of course she’s having fun with this; a chance to play around wildly with magic beyond anything normally possible, with nearly unlimited energy to work with? It’s probably a dream come true for her. Despite the weight of the situation, her good mood is infectious, and though you intend on still taking things more seriously than she seems to be, you feel your own mood lifted just from seeing her smile.

Some ten meters away, Mima and Yuuka seem to effortlessly create large, intricate, fast moving patterns of bullets, and nearly as easily dodge the other’s. It’s transfixing to observe, almost more like seeing a sort of strange, mysterious art than seeing attacks. Actually… you wonder if that isn’t at least partially their intention. You don’t really see any real practical benefit from creating such massive, complicated patterns to attack with when you know they could damage each other just as easily, if not more so, with direct, targeted attacks. It seems rather like a waste of energy, but… perhaps they really are trying to create art within the battle? It strikes you as uncharacteristic, at least for Mima, but then again, you don’t know all that much about her yet, do you? Regardless, you notice now that many of her bullets have taken on the same star shape that Marisa’s did, forming clouds of blue and purple that almost resembles a photo of some weird deep space nebula or something.

...Oh! That’s probably her exact intention, isn’t it, making it look reminiscent of a distant nebula. As for  _ why  _ she would put in the effort to create such a beautiful, intricate pattern… is she showing off?  _ That  _ certainly sounds like Mima based on what you know of her thus far. There’s probably some subtlety here that you’re missing, but the way they are conducting themselves in their battle appears to be structured in some way, not to mention focused almost solely on the creation of these patterns. It  _ would  _ make sense, you suppose, to make magical battles as flashy and impressive looking as possible, if given the chance. You might as well have some fun with it, right? Or, something like that, anyway. You’ll need to try and see if you can get an explanation later.

Meanwhile, it looks like Marisa’s caught onto this as well… or maybe she just likes showing off for the sake of showing off, because her already decently impressive spiraling attacks she was making before are now full of color, individual star shaped bullets forming a veritable rainbow overhead. She is on the far side of Yuuka from Mima, and the moving spirals of her attack look a little like some kind of galaxy with her at the center down beneath. From where she is, Mima is out of range of the pattern, but Yuuka isn’t, and it’s causing her problems as she tries to dodge one person’s bullets while attacking another person simultaneously.

Yuuka’s gaze falls on you as she seems to notice you watching her rather than fighting, and you can see her smile widen from all the way over here.  _ Shit.  _ She makes a weird maneuver to escape both Marisa and Mima and flies directly at you, spinning her umbrella to launch an attack as she does. 

You fling yourself out of the way without even thinking about it and swing the purification rod through the air to try and retaliate; meanwhile, Marisa tries to run directly over to you, but is blocked by more of Yuuka’s bullets, causing her to throw herself downward and slide across the floor in an unsuccessful attempt to dodge. Stunned by the two hits she just took, she stumbles back to her feet, trying and failing to recover her previous momentum, one hand to her head. Apparently either too dazed or too injured to run, she still attempts to make her way in your direction, but stumbles once more before stopping, to try and get herself together or something. You want, no,  _ need  _ to escape Yuuka’s bullets so you can rush over to Marisa and check on her, but you just can’t find a way out. You keep trying and failing to reach the gaps along the edges in time before the patterns shift and the escape route disappears; tears of frustration are starting to cloud your vision, which serves only to make things harder.

In the air above Marisa, Mima is looking around at the chaotic scene, seemingly considering something. You don’t get a chance to see exactly what she may be planning, though, as you are forced again to evade, bullets flying left and right around you at disorienting speeds. 

However, despite the fact that you weren’t looking at the time, you  _ do  _ know that whatever it was Mima was considering, she apparently decided to go for it. What sounds almost like a contained  _ explosion  _ fills the area, causing every bullet in the air to be destroyed in the violent wave of energy produced, completely negating all other attacks and making it impossible to form any new bullets.

Yuuka winces and holds her umbrella up in front of her to try and protect herself from the blast, but you and Marisa seem entirely untouched by whatever it was Mima did. At the very least, though you can feel the overwhelming energy filling the air, feeling almost suffocating, it isn’t doing any actual harm to you at all; Marisa looks just as unaffected as she stands there, staring fixedly at a spot above her, eyes wide. You follow her gaze to see Mima with her arms outspread, hovering in one place. She looks tired, you realize; if she were human she’d surely be trying to catch her breath after doing whatever the hell that was. Several moments pass before she seems to snap out of her trance-like state and flies over to Marisa’s side with a solemn expression. Checking on her? Most likely. Somehow you feel a little weird about that idea, for some reason, but if it means that Marisa is safer in all this then you’re certainly not going to complain. Marisa says something to Mima with a smile, and she nods once before flying back up to resume her attack on Yuuka.

With Yuuka now thoroughly distracted by Mima’s assault, you take the chance to run over to Marisa so you can check on her yourself. Up close, you can see a scrape on her cheek and rips in her cardigan, but she doesn’t look like she’s seriously injured, thank god.

“Are you okay?” You demand of her nonetheless, resting your palm against her other cheek and watching her closely for any sign that something’s wrong. 

“I’m fine,” she says, reaching up to touch your hand. “Just let my guard down and messed up, that’s all. I know now that sliding across the floor doesn’t work too well for dodging bullets, so I won’t be trying that again anytime soon.” Her tone of voice is rather laid-back, her smile a little crooked, and you know that she’s trying to seem confident and unworried, probably just to reassure you. 

Her eyes betray no obvious contradictions, though. As you look her over, she really does seem to be feeling some confidence, and you can’t help but return her smile. 

“Well, if you’re okay, then are we ready to go give her hell?” You gesture vaguely over at Yuuka, but keep your gaze locked on Marisa, enjoying her almost infectious good mood, her casual confidence and her genuine smile, all of which have become rare sights as of late. When you speak, she grins at you, eyes crinkling with the expression, and you feel a warmth settle into your chest.

“Let’s do this,” she agrees vehemently, and off you both go, running back into the fray together, looking to finish this all for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one wound up so short, I wanted to split the chapter so that I wasn't jamming the whole battle into one chapter.
> 
> If you've seen [Mima's bomb art in Mystic Square](https://i.gyazo.com/862b5546cb2d92da08a2801b48689fbd.png) then you have an idea as to what she did.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be the last chapter, but I hated my own ending and so??? Whoops.

Feeling a sense of renewed determination fill your heart, you run with Marisa back over to where Mima and Yuuka are still locked in combat, neither seeming to be able to gain an advantage on the other. Are they truly at comparable strength and skill levels to one another? It sure seems like it, and you’re not exactly sure how to feel about that fact, beyond a nagging sense that if not for Mima’s presence, neither you nor Marisa would stand a chance against this seemingly otherworldly foe. 

Marisa is positioned directly below the chaos once again, eyed closed in focus as she tries to prepare something big, magical power swirling around where she stands, causing your skin to tingle. Because of her absolute concentration, though, she has been left wide open for attacks, and you’d bet that the only reason she hasn’t been targeted once again is because Yuuka remains busy trying to deal with Mima. 

The spirit is soaring overhead, swinging her wand in a large arc to form her next attack. Watching her for a moment before deciding what you should do, you notice that she seems distracted, possibly starting to tire out. You’ll need to be careful to make sure her exhaustion doesn’t cause any trouble for you and Marisa. Sure, you may still not trust Mima completely, but one thing is for certain: you need her here by your side, helping you to fight and to actually stand a chance.

Regardless, with both your allies completely caught up in their respective efforts, you need to try and cover for them; your girlfriend comes first though, way higher in priority than any evil spirit. You visualize an attack and form it near simultaneously, weaving your way in and out of incoming bullets with relative ease. 

All of this feels almost natural to you now, and you barely have to put in any effort as you create your next pattern, rushing through the air above you. Already caught up in dodging a ridiculously fast strike from Mima, the spirit’s wand held out in front of her as she flies full-speed at her opponent, Yuuka throws herself sideways and runs directly into two of your bullets, causing her to lose some altitude. In response, she visibly glowers, closing her parasol and pointing it down at you and Marisa. Uh-oh. 

You only have a split second to react, grabbing Marisa’s arm and dragging her with you as you rush to get as far away as possible, before a massive blast of heat and blinding white light strikes right where you had just been standing.  _ Shit,  _ that was close. You’re ready to dodge again, but it seems that whatever the hell that was takes too much energy for it to be used twice in quick succession, thank god. 

Breathing heavily, your heart racing, you lean against your girlfriend for support. She places a hand on your hair comfortingly, and you glance over at her face, looking for a reaction to what has happened.

“Dammit,” Marisa mutters. “I was literally just trying to do that.” She crosses her arms and glares over at Yuuka.

“You  _ what _ ?” Did you just hear her correctly? No, no, you can’t have. Right?

“That! The giant-ass laser thing, I was working on getting enough energy to pull something like that off, but she beat me to it!”

Well, it seems as though you did hear her right, after all. Marisa looks as though she’s about to say something else, but before she continues, she fires off a wave of bullets to strike back against the youkai, giving the two of you an additional moment of cover.

“Do you think you can still do it?” You ask her as she grabs your hand and pulls you along with her, running to reach a new, safer place.

“Probably, I’ve still got the energy an’ all, it’s just not quite enough to pull it off yet. Shouldn’t take long for me to get it ready, though. Why, want me to try?”

“Please,” you tell her, and she nods, closing her eyes again. The same power from before gathers once more, and you step a safe distance away as its presence begins to feel overwhelming, like at any moment it could explode. 

While you wait for her attack, you create a blanket of bullets that acts almost like a protective barrier, ensuring that Yuuka won’t be able to get any closer if she decides to try and target the two of you again, though Mima seems to have put herself in position to interfere should the need arise.

Suddenly, you hear a shout.

“Hey, you! Two can play at that game!” Marisa yells up at Yuuka, who glances over just in time to see Marisa unleash all the energy that she had gathered at once, forming her own massive blast of magic. Rainbow colors are visible along the edges of the vibrant white light, and the surrounding air shimmers from the brutal heat; yet, you feel something like a chill watching this display of power. That’s  _ Marisa,  _ you remind yourself. Your girlfriend is behind all that, holding her wand out in front of her with both hands. 

You’re so proud of her. 

Caught completely by surprise, Yuuka fails to evade quickly enough and is sideswiped by the attack, but you lose sight of her in the harsh contrast between the vibrance of the light and the darkness of the surrounding area. Somehow, you aren’t particularly concerned about her wellbeing.

The blast continues on for several long moments, and when its light finally falters and fades away, you see Marisa stumble back from where she had been standing, eyes open wide. 

You immediately run to her side, with Mima rushing over as well. Marisa is still holding her wand out in front of her, seemingly dazed, and blinks in surprise when your hand touches her shoulder. Slowly, she lowers her arms. 

“Uh, hey.” Marisa looks over to meet your eyes. “Think that helped at all?” 

Mima interrupts before you can answer. “Yes, I do think so. You know, if you had done that in the first place, it really would have saved us some time, but I don’t think anyone really considered the viability of such a bold, direct attack. Hm… yes, actually, that likely wouldn’t have worked any sooner, it was surely our opponent’s exhaustion from the battle up until now that allowed you to get an opening to hit her like that. That was perfect then, you did a good job.”

“Wait, I actually hit her? Really?” 

“Mmhmm, she’s over there still… I suppose we should go and see if she’s alive, shouldn’t we? I mean, I don’t particularly care, but we do need her to uphold her end of the deal, after all.” 

Mima starts drifting off in that direction, and you tug on Marisa’s hand for her to follow, but when she stumbles after only a few steps, holding her head, Mima is back by her side in a split second, scooping the exhausted girl up into her arms. 

“There we go,” Mima murmurs, and you’re not sure if she’s talking to Marisa or just to herself. Marisa tries to look indignant at being picked up like that, but gives up quickly, too tired to actually argue, and allows herself to be carried. You’re silently thankful that Mima is, at least, taking care of her in this way. You would probably have a little more trouble trying to lift her, after all, and with Mima carrying her, she can’t strain herself any further.

“Oh, that’s cute!” Exclaims a voice from somewhere several meters away, and you look to find Yuuka pushing herself back onto her feet, having been knocked to the floor. You know she’s patronizing you, but her tone, strangely, doesn’t strike you as very dishonest. Weirdo.

“But I’m afraid I can’t let the battle end just because one of your group is unable to fight,” she continues. “Not while I’m still going! Now, prepare yourselves!” 

Yuuka points her closed parasol once more at the three of you, but this time you’re ready. Before she can strike, you gather up all the energy you can muster, running directly at the youkai and releasing all your power in a last ditch effort to defeat her. You can’t let her get in another one of those blasts now, with Marisa almost unable to walk from exhaustion and Mima completely occupied by carrying her. You just can’t let that happen, no matter what.

Huge, colorful orbs of pure appear in the air, and you spread your arms out wide, knowing this is most likely the one chance you’ll get to attack with all your power. It’s now or never, and you intend to end this for good.

Yuuka, seeing what’s happening, flies straight up to try and evade, but it’s useless. Each successive blast pursues her until it connects with cacophonous noise, six in all; after the final hit, the youkai falls slowly back down to the floor, falling to her knees in defeat. 

The three of you watch her in silence, waiting, until finally you hear her voice.

“Alright, alright, you win! Of course, it was three on one, and I’m willing to bet none of you could have beat me alone, buuut I’ll admit defeat this time.”

“Next time, challenge me without the presence of two completely inexperienced humans that I have to protect, and we’ll see which of us is really the stronger one,” Mima responds, looking down at Yuuka, who sticks her tongue out. 

“You didn’t  _ have  _ to protect the humans, you know. You’re just getting soft on me. What happened to the beautiful and terrifying Mima, embodiment of the deepest of darkness and strongest of moonbeams, spirit of pure malice? Hm?”

“Yeah,” Mima begins, one eyebrow raised. “I still have absolutely no idea who you are, but try to mess with me or my charges again and I will show you firsthand why there are still those who shiver in fear at the mere thought of me, even after centuries.” 

“Nice. Then it’s a date?” Yuuka winks, and Mima somehow raises her wand without a touch, enveloping it in a deep purple glow, and smacks Yuuka on the top of her head. 

“I don’t have time to waste battling and re-battling every single youkai who thinks she’s hot shit.” 

“I’m hurt,” lies the youkai who thinks she’s hot shit, her voice still chipper as ever.

“Can we go now?” Marisa asks, wrapping an arm around Mima’s neck so she can adjust her position, sitting up a bit. “Like, this is fun and all, it’s not everyday I get to be carried around by an evil spirit, even if this isn’t even the first time  _ today  _ that it’s happened _ ,  _ but honestly, this place kind of blows? I wanna go home and sleep.”

“Please,” you agree emphatically. It’s not just that you’re worried about Marisa, though you certainly are; you want to go home and sleep, too. Curling up with your girlfriend under a thick layer of blankets and not moving for hours sounds  _ really _ amazing right about now.

“Yes,  _ can _ we go?” Mima directs her words to Yuuka, who floats back up and lands on her feet. 

“Sure, just a second.” Holding out her parasol, Yuuka draws a circle in midair, the path glowing vibrantly before opening up into a new portal. On the other side, you can just barely make out the outlines of the trees; it looks like it’s already after sunset. Has it really been that long? 

“There you go! I’ve already closed up the other portal I made, so you don’t have to worry about a thing, I have it all taken care of. But you should come back and visit again sometime! Or, wait, I have a better idea, I can just go see you!”

“Please don’t,” you say, but Yuuka is already shoving you through the portal, leaves crunching beneath your feet as you hit the forest floor.

“Alright, see you around!” Yuuka calls once you’re all through, waving with a big grin on her face before the portal disappears into nothingness, leaving you alone in the woods once more. The silence that ensues feels almost suffocating.

“Well,” Mima comments at last. “I suppose that settles that? Come on then, let’s get the two of you home before anything  _ else  _ can go wrong.”

And with that, the three of you begin to make the short trip back to Marisa’s house, the trees filling with the sounds of your voices as you start to recall the adventure you just shared, joking and laughing all along the way in spite of everything. 


	12. Chapter 12

Once you’ve made it back inside, Mima carries Marisa downstairs and sets her down on the bed, with you following close behind. As soon as you're under the blankets, you reach over and pull your girlfriend into your arms, holding her close, and she nuzzles up against your chest before closing her eyes.

"I'm so lucky," she mumbles, not moving from where she lays. "I have such a nice soft girlfriend to keep me warm and cozy. What did I ever do without her?"

"You didn't sleep, remember? At least, not very much." You remind her, pointing out her old problems with insomnia she had way back when you first met.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that."

"It's a wonder how you ever survived on your own," says Mima from across the room, where she's sat down on the rug, her skirt sprawled awkwardly on the floor around her. You decide, not for the first time, to avoid thinking too hard about the logistics of this. "What _would_ you do without us?"

"You've only been here for like, three days, tops." Marisa points out.

"And yet, how many times have I saved your ass now?"

Marisa grumbles indistinctly, and you pat her hair, trying not to laugh.

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep, and there better not be any more bullshit goin' on when I wake up, or else I'm gonna be really pissed off. "

"Define 'more bullshit'," Mima prompts her.

"Uh, like, waking up to find that a goddamn portal into another dimension has opened up practically in my backyard and is spewing like, I don't know, fucking demons or something. That kind of bullshit."

"Well, I don't expect any more portals to be opening up, but if they do, I'll be sure not to tell you about it."

"Thanks," Marisa says sarcastically, before tugging on the blanket so that it covers her head. "Now g' night."

"Sleep well." Mima's voice is almost a whisper, and it seems like she means it. You press a kiss to Marisa's head through the blanket and then close your own eyes, seeking to rest.

 

For the second time in 24 hours, you wake up to find yourself alone in Marisa’s bed. Well, it’s not really unusual for her to awaken before you. You sit up, rubbing your eyes, and notice that you have fallen asleep in your clothes _again,_ leaving them so wrinkled that it may prove nothing short of miraculous if you ever manage to get them unwrinkled.

You wander over to the closet and pull out some clothes you’d left here from over the summer, as well as one of Marisa’s oversized cardigans. There, that’s better. You’ll want to get in the shower soon, but at least you don’t feel _quite_ so gross now. Besides, before you can even consider showing you need to go find something to eat; not only did you fail to eat very much yesterday, but you also expended a great deal of energy in that fight. Oops.

Hey, maybe if you’re lucky Marisa will have made you something for breakfast! She usually does, after all, as she’s the one who is actually somewhat competent at cooking. Better go upstairs and see if there’s anything waiting for you.

 

The door to the stairs is open, and you’re nearly to the top when you overhear Marisa talking from in the living room. Silently, you pull the door shut most of the way, then peek out through the gap to see what’s going on.

“—can’t just _leave,_ what the hell?! We had a deal!”

“Yes, we did, but it’s been made evident to me that you don’t actually _need_ my help. I can only assume that you had simply psyched yourself out and convinced yourself that you were incapable of magic; I’d be happy to help were that not the case, but it is. And so, I will be taking my leave now.”

“But you need _my_ help, remember? That’s the whole reason you agreed to this deal in the first place!”

There’s a long pause.

“I’ll figure something out.”

“...So that’s it then. Hmph, some friend you turned out to be.”

“I never came here with the intention of being your friend. You know that.”

“Yeah, I get that. I just, ya know, _kind of_ expected you to actually honor our fucking agreement, but that was just _silly_ of me, wasn’t it? Yeah, Reimu was right about you all along. I was stupid to trust an evil spirit.”

Mima looks like she’s going to snap something back at Marisa, but seems to decide against it, instead just shaking her head slightly, her lips pursed.

“Then that’s that,” she says finally.

“I guess so.”

Another long pause. Marisa and Mima both just look at each other, neither moving, both frowning, as if silently daring the other to act first.

Mima looks away, turning toward the back door. “Well, then. I can’t say it hasn’t been fun. Perhaps we’ll see each other around sometime.”

“I doubt it,” Marisa says bluntly. Once again Mima seems as though she wants to say something, but doesn’t, instead just moving toward the door, her hand resting on the handle for a moment before opening it.

“Farewell, then.”

“Yeah. Bye.”

The door closes softly. Marisa just stares at it, and you finally step out of the stairwell, walking over to her. When you put your hand on her shoulder, her gaze shifts to you, and she tries to smile, clearly wanting to act casual.

“Morning, Rei.”

“What was that all about?” you ask her, as if you didn’t already know. You’re not yet certain if you want her to know how long you were standing there listening to their conversation.

“Eh. You were right all along, Mima was just bad news. Shoulda figured, huh? She backed out of our agreement and everything. I dunno, at least she’s out of your hair, I guess? You were never exactly enthused by her presence.”

You hum noncommittally and pull her into a hug, expecting her to just freeze and not respond, but instead, she wraps her arms around you and presses her face against your neck.

“...Are you okay?”

Marisa doesn’t answer, instead just holding onto you a little tighter, and so you stay there, rubbing her back gently in a gesture of comfort. You ignore the way her breath is kind of tickling you.

Several minutes pass before Marisa finally moves back, looking up at you. She doesn’t try to smile this time, and just lets you lead her over to the couch, where you pull her into your lap.

“Guess I’m just kind of screwed when it comes to getting my shit together where magic is concerned, aren’t I?”

“Are you really having so much trouble that you think you need outside help to get any better?”

“I guess kind of, yeah.” She sighs. “It doesn’t really matter though. It’s probably for the best that she’s gone, right?”

“You think so?” You are somewhat inclined to agree with her—not having an evil spirit hanging around is generally considered a good thing by most people’s standards—but that’s not what this is about. For now, you need to think of the spirit just as a person in your girlfriend’s life, rather than in terms of what she is.

“...I don’t know. I figured that’s what you would think.”

“What I think doesn’t matter right now. What matters is you and how _you_ feel about this.”

Marisa thinks about it, humming softly. “It feels like it’s probably stupid for me to be upset about this. I mean, I knew her for what, three days, tops? But she was nice to me, and if you haven’t noticed, I kind of have a tendency to get really attached to people who show me basic fucking kindness really quickly.”

It’s true, you think, remembering how quickly you and Marisa became close friends, but you don’t say that.

“Anyway, I don’t know,” she continues. “I guess… to answer your question again, yeah, I am having that much trouble. I thought with her around that I’d actually have a chance to improve my magic, to not only get back to where I used to be but to excel way past there. I mean, you saw how powerful she was, she was obviously super experienced. I was kinda looking forward to having a cool spirit teacher slash friend around to help me, but so much for that!”

You pat her hair, running your fingers through it the way you know she likes, and she closes her eyes, sliding down to lay her head in your lap.

“I’m really sorry about all this,” she mumbles after several minutes.

“What?”

“I said I’m sorry. This was all just a bunch of trouble for everyone, and it’s pretty much entirely my fault.”

“That’s not true,” you say automatically. “You didn’t know what would happen with Mima, and the whole mess with Yuuka and that portal had nothing to do with you summoning her, remember?”

“Yeah, I guess. Still, I kinda feel bad about it all.”

You know that there’s nothing you could say that would change the way she feels, nothing you can do but continue to support her. So, you will. With time, she should feel at least a little better. For now, you’ll just sit with her, and stay by her side after that.

 

…

 

“Hey,” you begin. At least a quarter of an hour has passed since either of you last spoke. “Want to head into town for a while? We could go to the mall and waste a bunch of time wandering around and looking at things we could never afford. Oh, and we can get pretzels. The really good ones, from that one shop, remember?”

“I know which one you’re talkin’ about, yeah.” Marisa sits up. “Sure, that sounds like fun. Might as well do something nice while you’re visiting.”

“That’s what I was thinking. You know, I don’t have to leave today, though. Or tomorrow. Hell, I could just take the next week off school if I want to, I already know I won’t miss much.”

“That’s pretty irresponsible,” Marisa says seriously, and you both look at each other for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

“Me? Irresponsible? Perish the thought!” You exclaim, and Marisa laughs harder.

“Right, totally, I was wrong, you’re probably the single most responsible and well put together person I know.”

“You don’t know that many people.”

“Exactly! I’m tellin’ nothing but the truth over here. Well, come on.” Marisa slides out of your lap, stands, and holds her hand out for you to take. You let yourself be pulled to your feet, and continue holding her hand as she leads you downstairs so you can get ready.

“I’m going to go shower,” you tell her as she begins searching through a basket piled high with clean clothes for something to wear.

“Alright, but make it fast, and don’t use all the hot water.”

“I won’t.”

She stops you when you’re not even halfway to the stairs, grabbing hold of your wrist.

“Wait, I forgot something really important!”

“What is it?”

Instead of answering, she pulls you in for a kiss, smiling as she leans away.

“Hey, Reimu? Thanks. You know, for being here for me. For everything.”

You smile back, a warm feeling filling you. It’s been a strange couple of days, and you have a suspicion that things won’t go back to normal that easily, but so long as you have Marisa by your side, you’ll be okay. After all, you’ve already fought a powerful youkai in a weird dream dimension with her. Everything else should be a piece of cake, and even if it’s not, you know you can handle it together. ☆

  
******

 

 **☆ Mima ☆:** I’m sorry. I just… let myself get too attached too quickly.  
**☆ Mima ☆:** I shouldn’t have left and broken our deal like that.  
**☆ Mima ☆:** Honestly I suppose I sort of panicked there. In any case, let’s meet up again.

 **☆ Mima ☆:** _[This message has been removed.]_


End file.
